Spanish student who went missing in Paris found alive

Natalia Sánchez Uribe, a Spanish Erasmus student who went missing last week in Paris, has been found alive, according to her home country’s Foreign Ministry. The 22-year-old had not been heard from since May 1. According to sources close to the case, when she was located she was slightly disoriented and taken to hospital.

The youngster’s rucksack – which contained her cellphone and laptop – was located on Tuesday

Sources at the Spanish Civil Guard, which worked closely with the French police, said that the young woman has been at Henri Ey Hospital, located near the university, for several days.

The European Foundation for Missing Persons has spoken to the family of the young Spaniard, who said that for now they do not want to share any more details about the case, EL PAÍS has confirmed. The family has also asked for privacy.

Her mother, Inma Uribe, has sent out a message through the foundation’s Twitter account: “Hello, I am Natalia’s mother and I would like to inform you that Natalia is all right. So I ask everyone to respect our need for peace and quiet.”

Sánchez Uribe, an economics and business student at Barcelona’s Autonomous University, has been in France since September, where she is studying at the Sorbonne Economics School on the Erasmus European exchange program. Her course is due to end in two weeks.

According to the UAB, the youngster’s rucksack – which contained her cellphone and laptop – was located on Tuesday. Friends of hers explained that these personal possessions appeared in a park close to the university.

On the morning of her disappearance she was moving out of her apartment to go live with a friend, despite the fact that she only had two weeks to go before graduation. After dropping off two suitcases, Sánchez Uribe said she would be back with a third, but never showed up again. Her landlord told this newspaper that she never showed up to return the keys on May 2 as agreed.

Her friends said that Natalia had told them she was feeling watched and followed.

Her parents – residents of the Balearic Island of Mallorca, but originally from Granada – have traveled to Paris to keep up to date with the investigation. No arrests have been made so far.

English version by Simon Hunter.