Henri le Masne was a man whose remains were found in a glacier in the Cime Bianche area of Val d'Aosta, Italy, in 2005.
He was identified in July 2018.
Case[]
On 22 July 2005, the remains of a skier were found at 3,100 meters elevation on a glacier in Valtournenche, Cime Bianche. In 2017, the remains were analyzed. Tests showed they were from a man around 30, about 1.65 meters tall. Inspection of this clothing and personal items indicated he had died no earlier than winter 1950, came from a wealthy background, and was likely of French origin.
In 2018, a French woman named Emma Nassem came forward, believing the man to be her missing uncle, Henri le Masne, who disappeared on the Matterhorn during a storm on his birthday in 1954. Subsequent DNA tests confirmed the remains to be his. Masne was a resident of Paris who worked in the finance ministry and was described as independent.
Clothing and accessories[]
Watch
- Green shirt with the embroidered initials "MM".
- Jacket.
- Ski pants.
- 5 lire coin from 1946 to 1950 in pants pocket.
- Rossignol Olimpique skis, #7200-210.
- This model was sold in the 1940s and 1950s.
- Metal ski sticks.
- Omega watch, serial number 11666171.
- This watch would have been sold on 8 February 1950.
- This watch was likely sold in a French colony such as Tunisia, Algeria, or Morocco.
- Glasses found in an unspecified pocket.
- The glasses indicate the wearer was likely nearsighted, with emphasis on the right eye.
- 60-ride booklet for the Breuil-Plan Maison cable car.
Sources[]
- Henri le Masne on Wikipedia
- Chi l'Ha Visto? (Italian)
- The Guardian
- Independent
- BBC
- The Times: