On July 13, 2012, Sandrine Jourdan vanished without a trace from a rural property in Caboolture, Queensland.
Over a decade later, her disappearance remains an unsolved cold case.
This has left her loved ones and investigators searching for answers.
What happened to Sandrine?
Was it suicide, as the coroner ruled, or is it a murder mystery like her family suspect?
Sandrine Jourdan was born in France.
She moved to Australia with her family when she was eight years old and grew up in Caboolture, Queensland.
At the time of her disappearance, she was a loving mother to three kids, who meant everything to her.
Sandrine loved plants and gardening and even worked at a local nursery.
At 37, Sandrine was trying hard to rebuild her life.
She had recently separated from her long-term partner, who is also the father of her children.
However, Sandrine had her ups and downs in life
She struggled with mental health issues, including PTSD, caused by a painful childhood.
Her family shared that she was sexually abused by her father when she was young, and that pain stayed with her.
This led to depression and two suicide attempts by her
Even with these struggles, those close to her say she was in a better place at the time of her disappearance.
She had just finished a healing course and was taking steps to care for her mental health.
Her family believes she would never have left her kids behind, making her sudden disappearance even more puzzling.
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The Day She Disappeared
On July 13, 2012, Sandrine was with her mother, running errands and spending time together.
Around 10 AM, her mother dropped her off at a friend’s house in Caboolture.
According to family members, Sadrine was feeling uneasy in the days leading up to her disappearance.
She had told several people that she sent an email to the wrong person and she was scared for her life .
Later that day, Sandrine went to another friend's house named John Baughen.
His property was in a secluded area surrounded by thick trees and swampy land, making it feel isolated.
Sandrine had known John for years—they were friends, and she had even worked with him at his nursery.
That afternoon, she spent several hours at his place.
Around 5:30 PM, John claimed that Sandrine had walked to the front gate and suddenly left.
He said he drove down to the gate just a minute later, but she was gone.
The only thing left behind was her jacket, hanging on a fence post.
It was as if she had vanished into thin air.
Sandrine’s family and friends were left with more questions than answers.
Why would she leave without her jacket?
Why did no one see her after she walked to the gate?
That day was the beginning of a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.
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The Search and Investigation
After Sandrine Jourdan mysteriously disappeared, her family filed a missing person report with the local police department.
However, the investigation that followed reportedly left her family frustrated and they questioned whether enough was done to find her.
The initial search began with police and SES teams scouring the area around John Baughen’s property, where Sandrine was last seen.
They combed through the dense trees, swampland, and nearby roads, but no trace of her was found.
The only clue left behind was her jacket, hanging on a fence post near the gate.
Even with the lack of concrete evidence, the investigation seemed to focus heavily on Sandrine’s mental health history.
Police pointed to her past struggles with depression and two previous suicide attempts.
As a result of this, they concluded that she may have taken her own life.
But her family strongly disagreed.
They insisted that Sandrine was in a stable place before her disappearance and would never have left her children behind.
One of John's neighbours said they heard three gunshots on the day Sandrine vanished.
But according to family members, this key piece of information wasn’t thoroughly looked into.
The neighbor told police about the sounds, but there’s no record of them following up on this lead.
As the days turned into weeks, the case grew colder.
In 2015, a private investigator working for Sandrine’s family made a startling discovery.
On a nearby property, just three doors down from where Sandrine was last seen, they found clothing and personal items wrapped in carpet and plastic.
The items—a pair of black pants, a purple top, a bra, sunglasses, and a hessian bag—matched what Sandrine was wearing the day she disappeared.
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The police, however, dismissed the findings, saying the items weren’t connected to Sandrine’s case.
They didn’t show the items to her family for identification, leaving them frustrated and suspicious.
An investigation of Sandrine’s laptop added another layer of mystery to the case.
Forensic experts found sophisticated encryption software on her computer, something typically used by law enforcement or intelligence agencies.
They also discovered that someone had used her laptop to visit a human trafficking website.
Furthermore, on the day Sandrine disappeared, her family shared that she received a strange and unsettling phone call.
During the call, the person on the other end reportedly told her, “250,000 people go missing every year. What makes you any different?”
Despite these red flags, criminal investigators allegedly failed to dig deep into these findings.
In 2016, the coroner ruled Sandrine’s death a probable suicide, even though her body was never found.
Her family was devastated by the ruling, believing it closed the door on any chance of finding out what really happened to her.
To this day, Sandrine’s disappearance remains an unsolved cold case.
Her family continues to push for answers, hoping that new leads or renewed attention will finally bring them the truth.
Potential Theories
While the coroner ruled her death a probable suicide, Sandrine Jourdan's family and others believe there’s more to the story.
Here are some of the most discussed possibilities:
1. Suicide: The official theory is that Sandrine took her own life.
Police pointed to her history of mental health struggles, including two past suicide attempts, as reasons to support this idea.
However, her family strongly disagrees.
They say Sandrine was in a stable place before she vanished and would never have left her children behind.
Plus, her body has never been found, which makes this theory hard to prove.
The two times Sandrine attempted to take her own life, she tried to overdose.
Because of this, her family believes that even if she had overdosed again, her body would have been found.
The fact that no remains have ever been discovered makes them question the suicide theory.
2) Foul play by Someone Close to Her:
Sandrine’s family has suggested that she may have been harmed by someone close to her.
In the days before her disappearance, she told several people she was scared for her life.
A neighbor who lived close to where she was last seen also reported hearing three gunshots around the time she vanished.
But police reportedly never followed up on this lead.
Also, after her disappearance, her ex-partner received a series of strange letters signed by someone named “Rosetta Bunton.”
No family member knew this person.
The letters were filled with hateful comments about Sandrine and the person knew another about her life.
This suggests that someone close to her may have wanted to harm her —or worse.
3. Human Trafficking
The discovery that someone used Sandrine’s laptop to visit a human trafficking site has led some to wonder if she was abducted.
While there’s no direct evidence linking her disappearance to trafficking, the possibility can’t be ignored.
Her sudden vanishing and the lack of any trace of her make this theory a haunting consideration.
4. Accidental Harm By Unknown Person
Another theory is that Sandrine may have been accidentally hurt or killed by a stranger, and someone covered it up.
For example, if an argument turned violent, the person involved might have hidden her body to avoid getting in trouble.
This could explain why her belongings were found wrapped in carpet and plastic on a nearby property years later.
5. She Walked Away
Some have wondered if Sandrine chose to start a new life elsewhere.
However, her family says this is impossible.
Sandrine had a close bond with her children and would never have left them without a word.
Plus, there’s been no sign of her in over a decade, making this theory unlikely.
Each of these theories has its own set of questions and gaps, leaving Sandrine’s disappearance shrouded in mystery.
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Ongoing Efforts and Recent Developments
Over a decade has passed since Sandrine Jourdan disappeared, but her family and supporters haven’t given up hope.
They continue to push for answers, determined to uncover the truth about what happened to her.
They firmly believe her disappearance was not a suicide and have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with the police investigation.
They feel the focus on her mental health history overshadowed other possible leads, such as the gunshots heard by a neighbor and the mysterious items found on a nearby property years later.
The family has also worked closely with retired detective Graham Crowley, who has taken a personal interest in the case.
He is helping to investigate through his podcast, Bring Home Sandrine.
Podcasts like Bring Home Sandrine have brought fresh attention to the case, sharing details that were previously overlooked.
These platforms have given Sandrine’s family a voice and allowed them to share their side of the story, reaching a wider audience who might have information.
In recent years, there have been efforts to re-examine evidence using modern forensic techniques.
Sandrine’s family hopes these efforts will finally provide some answers.
In late 2022, the discovery of unidentified remains in Brisbane sparked interest in Sandrine’s case.
The remains belonged to a woman who had been deceased for several years, but the police have reportedly ruled out a connection to Sandrine.
Sandrine’s family continues to monitor such developments, always holding out hope that one day they’ll find closure.
If you have any information that may have been missed by the authorities, please contact the closest police station.
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