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This Is The Chilling True Story Behind Netflix Drama 'The Search'

Lucy Devine

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This Is The Chilling True Story Behind Netflix Drama 'The Search'

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

Netflix has just released a new true crime based on the tragic death of of a little girl who was found dead in her bedroom after a nine-day police search.

While the series is a drama, based on the real life events, the true story behind the shocking case is truly harrowing.

The series, named The Search, tells the story of Paulette Gebara Farah - a four-year-old Mexican girl with a number of learning disabilities who appeared to vanish overnight.

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Paulette was born with both physical disabilities and a language disorder, and had two nannies who helped care for her - Ericka and Martha Casimiro.

The family were considered relatively affluent. Paulette's father, Mauricio Gebara, worked in real estate while her mum, Lizette Farah, was an attorney.

On one evening in 2010, Lizette claimed she had put her little girl to bed as normal, but when her nanny, Ericka, came into her room the next morning, the little girl was nowhere to be seen.

There were no signs of forced entry in the house or any indication that a struggle had taken place.

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'The Search' tells the story of Paulette Gebara Farah (Credit: Handout)
'The Search' tells the story of Paulette Gebara Farah (Credit: Handout)

CCTV cameras which surrounded the property failed to show the child leaving or being taken and neither of the two family dogs had made any noise during the night, which could have indicated a disturbance.

Ultimately, police were baffled and found it very difficult to find a lead. What followed was a huge, nine-day search, with the community coming together to begin a tireless hunt for the little girl.

The story quickly turned into a media frenzy - flyers were posted, billboards were erected and ads were all over the TV and on public transport. Lizette even made a public plea on television for her daughter's abductor to come forward.

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The search sparked a great deal of public interest, but soon, many started placing the blame on Paulette's parents.

A week later and suspicions reached fever pitch when Alberto Bazbaz, the Attorney General of Mexico announced Paulette's parents and nannies were in custody.

You can watch all six episodes of The Search on Netflix now (Credit: Netflix)
You can watch all six episodes of The Search on Netflix now (Credit: Netflix)

According to local reports at the time, there were a series of falsehoods and inconsistencies in their stories.

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Bizarrely, police ended up raiding the family home after nine days of searching, only to find Paulette's dead body under blankets at the end of the bed.

Officers concluded that Paulette had rolled over during her sleep and become lodged in a gap between the end of the bed and the mattress, which caused her to suffocate.

Many wondered how the body could have been missed - especially considering it was reported to have been there for nine days, with no apparent smell. The explanation given for this was that the blankets covering Paulette had masked the odour.

A verdict of accidental death was ruled - but the case remains highly controversial.

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You can watch all six episodes of The Search on Netflix now.

Topics: Entertainment News, True Crime, TV Entertainment, Netflix

Lucy Devine
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