Missing French Woman Brigitte Respaud Found Safe Near Toulouse

French authorities have confirmed that Brigitte Respaud, a 61-year-old woman from Plaisance-du-Touch near Toulouse, has been located safe and well after going missing on March 28.

The gendarmerie in Haute-Garonne deactivated the public appeal on Thursday, ending a search that had spanned Andorra and France. Respaud, described as vulnerable with mobility difficulties and episodes of disorientation, left her home that Saturday morning to board a bus to El Pas de la Casa. Police investigations established that she spent the day in the parish before taking a coach back to France that evening, after which contact was lost.

Initial alerts from French gendarmes reached Andorran police on Tuesday morning around 10am. Officers checked medical centres, shops and other sites in El Pas de la Casa but found no sign of her. The probe widened to a broad area between the parish and Plaisance-du-Touch in Ariège, with inquiries into possible credit card use. Her family, growing anxious, shared a recent photo on social media; her niece wrote that they had no news of her.

Respaud stands about 1.70 metres tall with a sturdy build, especially around the abdomen, and shoulder-length light brown hair with reddish highlights. She was last seen in a dark coat or jacket.

The Haute-Garonne gendarmerie launched a citizen appeal on April 1, which spread widely online due to her condition. Andorran police later verified her movements that day in El Pas de la Casa but ruled out any incident there. Authorities thanked the public for assistance, noting no further details on her whereabouts have been disclosed.