A French backpacker who went missing during her travels in Cambodia has been found dead, police said.
Lisa Girard-Fabre, 23, from southwest France, was found dead near Siem Reap, the city that houses the famed Angkor Wat temple complex.
The woman was found dead in a dried canal on Monday, Lieutenant Colonel Sok Meng Eang from the Siem Reap police told AFP. He said an autopsy found the woman died from a cardiac arrest.
“There were no injuries on her body or any sign of abuse against her,” the officer told the news agency, adding that her belongings and clothes were in good condition.
Girard-Fabre was last seen at the Ta Som temple at around 7.20am local time on 2 August when she had been running alone on a 21km route, her friends said.
Two Cambodian Facebook users reportedly posted sightings of Girard-Fabre on the morning of her disappearance. One user said she ran past their coffee shop near Srah Srang while another claimed she was seen "running near the ticket booth on the old Route 60, heading towards the roundabout at around 7.50am", The Nation reported.
The French woman reportedly arrived in Cambodia in 2024, having hitchhiked from Paris to Phnom-Penh for four months in a journey that took her through 15 countries. Through her journey, she raised funds for non-profit Pour un Sourire d’Enfant, or PSE.
"It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of one of our young volunteers in Cambodia, Lisa Girard-Fabre, who has been engaged as a pedagogical project manager at the School of Management and Sales, at Pour Un Smile d’Enfant - PSE since January 2025," the nonprofit said on Facebook.
"Lisa had done a first humanitarian mission with PSE two years ago and left from Paris alone by hitchhiking to Phnom Penh. She was brave, radiant, and had a heart to help others. The entire PSE community will miss her."
Girard-Fabre chronicled her journey from France to Cambodia on her Instagram page, which had over 19,000 followers. In her latest post on 13 March, she shared pictures from her visit to Angkor Wat and moments spent with the local people.
