Arthur Brodard was among the 40 people killed in the bar blaze at Crans-Montana resort, which injured 119 others

Bailey Richards is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023 and interned with the brand in 2022. Her work has previously appeared in PAPER Magazine, TV Insider and other digital publications.

Laetitia Brodard-Sitre holds a photo of her late son Arthur on Jan. 2, 2026.Credit : REUTERS/Noemie Olive

Just after midnight on New Year’s Day, 16-year-old Arthur Brodard texted his mom, “Happy New Year, Mum, I love you,” and she never heard from him again. She has since learned that he died in a tragic fire, which also took the lives of 39 others.

The teen was unaccounted for after attending celebrations at Le Constellation, the ski resort bar in Switzerland that went up in flames on New Year’s Eve. Upon learning of the tragedy, his mom, Laetitia Brodard-Sitre, held out hope that he may be among those who suffered non-fatal injuries in the blaze, and had not yet been identified as of Friday, Jan. 2, per the Associated Press.

The following evening, Laetitia learned that her teenage son was among the fatalities, putting an end to her frantic search.

“Our Arthur has now left to party in paradise,” she said in an emotional video shared on Facebook, translated from French by AP.

Firefighters at Le Constellation in Crans-Montana on Jan. 1, 2026.MAXIME SCHMID / AFP via Getty

“We can start our mourning,” said the grieving mom, “knowing that he is in peace and in the light.”

Forty people were killed, and 119 were injured, in the bar fire at Crans-Montana resort, and the severity of the victims’ burns made it difficult for authorities to identify them, per AP. Laetitia and other family members provided DNA samples to aid the process, and by the evening of Sunday, Jan. 4, Swiss officials had identified all of the fatal victims, the outlet reported.

Laetitia also thanked those who “testified their compassion, their love” on Facebook, according to AP.

Before officials confirmed her son Arthur’s death, the mom spoke with several outlets, expressing a desire to know, dead or alive, the fate of her son.

On Friday evening, she told reporters she was “looking everywhere,” per AP. “The body of my son is somewhere,” she said. “I want to know where my child is and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

Police officers at the site of the deadly fire at Le Constellation in Crans-Montana on Jan. 1, 2026.MAXIME SCHMID / AFP via Getty

The following day, she expressed frustration in an interview with French broadcaster BFM TV, stating that “we, parents, are starting to get tired … and anger is starting to rise.”

After announcing her son’s death, Laetitia said in a different Facebook post that she will be doing no more interviews, as she now knows her son’s fate.

Laetitia had previously said her son had “reserved a big table with his friends” to celebrate his 17th birthday before heading to Le Constellation for New Year’s Eve, according to CNN.

Authorities believe sparklers placed in wine bottles were likely the cause of the blaze, starting the fire after coming too close to the ceiling of the crowded ski resort bar, per AP. Authorities are now investigating whether the bar was up to code, the outlet reported.

Swiss authorities have also opened a criminal investigation of two bar managers. The employees, who have not been identified by officials, are suspected of involuntary homicide and involuntary bodily harm, as well as involuntarily causing a fire, AP reported.