Marie Peter-Toltz, a 40-year-old artist, has been missing since April 23, 2022, after she was last seen in Los Angeles, California. Her disappearance is clouded by the mysterious death of her boyfriend just two days later and a backdrop of personal turmoil, including a contentious custody battle and financial instability.
Peter-Toltz is described as a White female, standing at 5'7" to 5'8" tall and weighing around 120 pounds. She has blonde hair, blue eyes, and pierced ears. A French and Australian national, she is a recognized artist with a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the New York Studio School, and her work had been exhibited in Australia where she had won numerous awards.
The circumstances surrounding Peter-Toltz's disappearance are deeply intertwined with her partner, Valentin "Val" Broeksmit.
Just two days after she was last seen, on April 25, 2022, Broeksmit was found deceased at a high school in the El Sereno neighborhood of Los Angeles. His death was ruled as an accident due to blunt force trauma to the torso, and authorities stated that no foul play was suspected.
Complicating the narrative is Broeksmit's past as a whistleblower. He was the son of a Deutsche Bank executive who died by suicide in 2014, and Broeksmit had reportedly provided federal authorities with documents related to an investigation into the bank. A year before his death, in April 2021, Peter-Toltz had reported Broeksmit as missing. He was last seen at that time driving a red Mini Cooper in Griffith Park. The car was later found abandoned, though Broeksmit eventually reappeared.
Adding to the complexity of the case, Peter-Toltz was engaged in a difficult custody battle over her son with her ex-husband. Court documents also indicate that she and Broeksmit had been evicted from their home on March 31, 2022, shortly before her disappearance. The investigation into Marie Peter-Toltz's disappearance is being handled by the Los Angeles Police Department, but few details have been made available to the public, and as of early 2023, her case remains unresolved.Last Seen: Apr 23, 2022
