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Timeline

This timeline covers Natacha's movements from when she landed in Lima (Peru), to the day she went missing in Cabanaconde. Find the following events under.

January 1 & 2, 2022
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Natacha flies to Lima. She meets Magali, contacted via Facebook before her departure and with whom she will spend the whole week, at the Black Lama hotel. Together, they visit Lima. On January 2nd, they take a night bus to the Cordillera Blanca.

January 7 - 9, 2022

Natacha, Magali and Laurent (a Belgian met at Laguna 69) fly to Cuzco. From there they visit the Sacred Valley of the Incas and go to the Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley (Montaña Roja). 

January 14 - 18, 2022

Natacha goes on the Salkantay trek with a group and a guide: 4 days of trekking that ends with Machu Picchu.

January 20 - 22, 2022

It's Natacha's birthday. After a video call with her parents, she travels by boat to the Uros Islands. She rests, meets the local population and learns about their customs. She then travels to the island of Amantani, visits the island of Taquile and returns to Puno. 

January 24, 2022

According to the testimony of the manager of La Estancia, Natacha leaves the hotel at around 5am without having had breakfast and headed to the left. Two witnesses say they saw Natacha at about 6.30am near the Mirador San Miguel (a 20 minute walk from Cabanaconde) where the trek to San Juan de Chucho starts.
 
Natacha had however planned to go to Llahuar and to meet 2 Belgian friends. This trek starts on the other side of Cabanaconde.

February 2 & 3, 2022

A first alert is launched by Natacha's friends on social networks, in the "backpackers" Facebook groups in Peru. The notice is then spread massively on social networks. Her friends and relatives contacted the accommodation in Cabanaconde and tourists whom Natacha had met during her trip to Peru and the local police. 
In Cabanaconde, the search is launched in the Canyon and police officers investigated the three hotels: La Estancia, Mirko's House and Pachamama. Natacha's bag is found at La Estancia.

February 5 & 6, 2022
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Natacha's parents and brother fly to Peru. 
Official mountain guides and many volunteers continue the search in the Canyon. 
 
Accompanied by the Belgian Consul in Peru, Natacha's family arrives in Arequipa where they meet the Chief of Police and the Honorary Consul. A first virtual meeting takes place between the Belgian and Peruvian police.

February 9 - 18, 2022

The search continues and meetings with the Belgian and Peruvian police and volunteers take place. The parents meet with witnesses. Natacha's computer is analysed by the Belgian police.   

February 22, 2022 


Natacha's parents launch an appeal for witnesses on the local radio station. The Belgian police leave for the Canyon.

February 27, 2022

The parents return to Belgium.




Broadcast in Belgium of the documentary filmed in Cabanaconde by the television channel RTL TVI.

March 11, 2022

Natacha's family and friends set up the Facebook page "Looking for Natacha". A wanted poster is printed and distributed in Cabanaconde.
 
Bad weather and earthquakes in Cabanaconde cause extensive damage, the road is impassable and the search is called off.

March 16, 2022

Eric and Sabine, Natacha's parents, are back in Peru to continue the search and spread the wanted notice in public places. 

April 6, 2022

Sabine and Eric follow Natacha's steps in Cusco and Machu Pichu. The Peruvian and Belgian police continue their search. 

April 19 - 22, 2022

A day of debriefing and progress meetings with the Peruvian lawyer. A conference call between the Peruvian and Belgian foreign ministers took place.

April 25, 2022
January 3 - 6, 2022

Arriving in Huaraz, they visit the Laguna Paron, the ruins of Chavin and the Querococha lake. They then trek to Laguna 69 and the Pastoruri glacier. On 6 January, they return to Lima by night bus. 

January 10 - 13, 2022

Natacha and Laurent join a group of tourists, accompanied by 2 guides and a cook, for a 4 day and 3 night trip to Manu National Park.

January 19, 2022

Natacha goes by bus to Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

January 23, 2022

Alone, Natacha takes a first bus to Chivay and then a second bus to Cabanaconde, the village where the trek into the Colca Canyon begins. According to our information, Natacha arrives in Cabanaconde at 3:23pm.

 

From 3:26pm to 3:28pm, Natacha is filmed by the camera of the Pachamama hotel. She does not stay there because the room is too expensive. The receptionist advises her of cheaper hotel: Mirko's House. From 4:07pm to 7:06pm, the GPS location recorded by the Polarstep application shows that Natacha walked towards the ruins of Kallimarca, outside the village.

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Around 5:30pm, Natacha sends her last messages to some friends. She uses the wifi of the Mirko's House hotel for 20 minutes. She cannot stay there because the hotel is closed due to the COVID. She is told about the hotel La Estancia.

 

According to the manager of La Estancia, Natacha arrived at around 8:00pm, put her bag in her room and left 5 minutes later to go and eat. From 8pm to 10:30pm, Natacha eats alone at Chapi's Virgin restaurant in the village square and stays to read her e-book. Natacha returns to La Estancia around 11:00pm and asks if she can leave her bag for 5 days, the duration of her trek.

January 25, 2022

Kevin Ramos, a young Peruvian man, falls from a bridge on the Colca river in Yanque, just before the Canyon.

February 4, 2022

The parents give a statement to the police in Uccle, Belgium.
 A first search team descends into the Canyon in search of Natacha.

February 7 & 8, 2022

Meeting with the prosecutor, local police and guides in Cabanaconde. Arrival of a tracking dog and a drone to assist in the search.
 The tests (Luminol) for traces of blood in the three hotels where Natacha had gone but none were found.
 

February 21, 2022


Three Belgian police officers arrive in Cabanaconde. 

February 25, 2022

The police promise to share their information, to continue the search both at the judicial level and in the Canyon, and to keep the parents informed. 
No leads are ruled out but still no trace of Natacha.
 The parents decide to return home with the Belgian police.


March 8, 2022

The press reports that the search has been abandoned. The parents send a press release denying this. The teams in place for the last month are to be replaced by a new team.


March 14, 2022

A new witness says that on 24 January he saw Natacha on the road to San Juan de Chucho at around 9am and heard a landslide shortly afterwards. 

March 27, 2022
April 15, 2022

The parents announce a $15,000 reward for anyone who finds Natacha or helps locate her with information on her current whereabouts.

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April 24, 2022

A video is sent to all travel and trekking agencies in the Cabanaconde and Arequipa area to request information. The search and reward notice continues to be distributed.  

April 26, 2022

The search for Natacha continues! 

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