07/22/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17zyrvdMF4/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Amazing.
Congrats to the team on another recovery.
Sometimes, one family's answer leads to another.
Just hours after the recovery of David Stévenin from the Adour River, something extraordinary happened.
At 10:00 p.m. last night, after a long day on the river, I received an email from a man named Sébastien. His mother, Joëlle Pouy, had disappeared on November 15, 2017, after leaving her home in Mouguerre, France. She was last seen around 8:00 a.m. in nearby Saint-Pierre d'Irube.
Sébastien's father had seen the news that we had located David's vehicle and asked if there was any chance we could come back and search for his mother, Jean-Paul's wife.
The challenge was... we had already left.
Our team was already in Toulouse, France, preparing for our next case in Italy.
Here's the incredible part...
While searching for David, we had located three submerged vehicles. We only needed to dive two of them before finding David's Renault Mégane. The third vehicle had remained untouched.
The crazy part...
We weren't looking for a car. We were looking for a van which happened to line up perfectly with the sonar image of that third vehicle we never dove.
At 6:00 a.m. this morning, we turned around and drove back to Urt.
Shortly after 9:00 a.m., we met Sébastien and his father, Jean-Paul, along the river.
The target was lying on its side. It appeared square and boxy—more like a van than a passenger car. Even more telling, we could clearly make out what appeared to be a spare tire mounted underneath, matching the Peugeot Partner Joëlle had been driving.
At 10:00 a.m., Jared entered the water.
By 10:15 a.m., we had our answer.
It was Joëlle's vehicle.
What we don't always know is if someone is inside until the vehicle is recovered.
But Jared could see inside with the front windshield blown out.
Joëlle was inside, still seatbelted, 9 years later.
A miracle really for the location in the river, with the current, the tidal waters, and the floods through the years.
Authorities were immediately notified, and by 1:00 p.m., the Gendarmerie's dive team had arrived on scene. Joëlle and her vehicle were recovered from the river just a few hours later.
Another family finally has answers.
When you look back, it's impossible not to think about the chain of events that led us here.
Had Jean-Paul not seen the news that David had been found...
Had he not immediately called his son...
Had Sébastien not reached out...
Had we not decided to turn around...
Had we not traveled to Urt in the first place to search for David...
Joëlle would not have been found today.
That's the butterfly effect.
To Joëlle's family, thank you for placing your trust in us during one of the hardest moments imaginable. We hope today's answers bring a measure of peace after nearly nine years of uncertainty.
And to everyone who supports Adventures With Purpose—thank you.
Every view, every share, every membership, and every donation makes moments like this possible.
Your support allows us to answer the call, even when it means turning around and driving hundreds of miles back to a river because one family asked for help.
Today, another family has answers.
With Gratitude,
Jared, Byron, John, and Kade
