FORMER powerboat racing standout Derek “Stones” Tardieu and his wife, Clarabelle, 47, remain missing after being kidnapped from their Monos Island home on December 6, prompting a widespread police investigation and anguished appeals for their safe return. Kidnappers have since demanded US$2.5 million for their release.

Reports say a distressing voice note was sent to a relative’s phone around 9.44 pm on December 6 from an unfamiliar number. In the recording, the 70-year-old Tardieu said, “They have meh and want US$2.5 million for meh release.”

Following the message, Tardieu’s son was contacted, and he rushed to the couple’s Blanchette Bay residence, where he found the home ransacked and both his father and stepmother gone. He tried calling Tardieu’s phone, but it went unanswered.