French property developer's family may be kidnap victims

Police searched the Alpine chalet of a French property developer yesterday, looking for clues about his mysterious disappearance with his family almost a fortnight ago.

The public prosecutor opened a kidnapping investigation on Tuesday into the disappearance of 41-year-old Xavier Flactif; his wife, Graziella Ortolano, and their three children, who have not been seen since 11 April.

Ms Ortolano's son from a previous marriage raised the alarm after he arrived at their luxury four-storey chalet near the ski resort of Le Grand-Bornand for the school holidays. His taxi had been ordered and he found vegetables cooked on the stove but his entire family had vanished.

The mystery deepened when the prosecutor, Denis Robert-Charrereau, said that "suspicious stains" that were probably blood had been found, and ordered the kidnapping investigation. French investigators were not discounting other possible reasons for the family's disappearance, including a car accident on the twisting mountain road, a family feud, or a flight from creditors.

Mr Flactif, 41, is a builder, born in the French West Indies, who set up a partnership with a British national to sell chalets worth up to €610,000 (£415,000) each, mainly to British customers. But his business ventures in the area led to criticism from the locals, who accused him of causing prices to rise.

Mr Flactif moved to Le Grande Bornand in 1999 after an investigation into his business activities in Lille. His British partner, George Gray, rejected suggestions that money problems or a local vendetta could be behind the Flactifs' disappearance, and said the accident theory seemed more credible. "He had paid off all his debts. I had already sold three chalets this year for €1m and we had meetings fixed up for the week after he disappeared," he said. "Those who criticise him are only jealous."