While staying at her family’s farmhouse in , Pauline went out for a solo hike on August 11, 1988. She was dressed lightly and carried no supplies, leading many to believe she intended to be gone only for a short while. When she failed to return, a massive search operation was launched.

For three months, the French media was gripped by "Lafont-mania." Theories ran wild:

: Rumors of an encounter with a "sadistic killer" or a local dispute circulated through the tabloids.

Pauline Lafont remains frozen in time—forever 25, forever beautiful, and forever linked to the wild, unforgiving beauty of the Cévennes.

Pauline Lafont: The Mystery That Lingers 34 Years After Her Fatal Fall

The truth was discovered on November 21, 1988, by a local farmer. Pauline’s body was found at the bottom of a 10-meter precipice at a place called .