2023-07-16 19:10:05
Little Émile has been missing in south-eastern France since July 8th, 2023. The two-and-a-half-year-old boy has disappeared from his grandparents’ garden in the mountain village of Le Vernet. More than 800 helpers searched for the boy, and on Wednesday (07/12/23) the army and police stopped the large-scale search operation. Emile remains missing. But what’s next?
France fears for Émile. Image copyright: Twitter/Gendarmerie Nationale
kidnapped? Get lost? What happened to Emile?
The investigators are now not ruling out the possibility that an animal might also have something to do with Émile’s disappearance. An attack by a bird of prey is conceivable, among other things, the TV broadcaster BFMTV reported, citing the public prosecutor.
According to the authorities, further hypotheses are an accident, a crime or an involvement of the family.
In the remote mountain village, residents had also speculated regarding a wolf attack. However, it is extremely rare for wolves to attack humans.
François Balique, mayor of the small mountain village, told the French radio station “franceinfo”, among other things, that he thought a kidnapping was unlikely because Vernet was very peaceful. He thinks it is more likely that the boy got lost in the mountainous area and hid somewhere.
Mayor François Balique does not believe in a kidnapping. Image rights: dpa
Missing Émile: That happened
Émile’s mysterious fate keeps France in suspense. According to a report in the French daily newspaper “Le Figaro”, his grandparents lost sight of the boy only briefly on Saturday evening. Your house is in the 130-inhabitant mountain village of Le Vernet in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
Two neighbors would have seen Émile walking down a path in front of his grandparents’ house on Saturday. Then his trail was lost.
Holiday idyll? 130 people live in the French mountain village of Le Vernet. Image rights: dpa
Search action without result
The army, gendarmerie, sniffer dogs and numerous volunteers have been looking for the boy since Saturday. According to the authorities, 30 buildings, twelve vehicles and twelve hectares of land were searched, and 25 people were interviewed. The police had also played the mother’s voice messages over loudspeakers, as reported by the French TV station “BFMTV”. This is how Émile should be lured out of a possible hiding place – but the plan didn’t work out. The search operation in the French foothills might not solve the mystery of Émile’s disappearance.
Public prosecutor Rémy Avon announced on Thursday (07/13/23) that the search teams would no longer be sent out. However, the investigation into the missing person case continues, according to Rémy Avon. In the past four days, a “considerable amount of information and elements” have been found, which is now being analyzed.
Over 800 helpers were involved in the search operation, as were search dogs and helicopters. Image rights: dpa
This is Emile
According to the police, Émile is 90 centimeters tall, blond, has brown eyes and comes from a community near Marseille. At the time of his disappearance he was wearing a yellow shirt, white shorts and hiking boots.
Missing Émile: Is there still hope?
The public prosecutor’s office warned on Tuesday (07/11/23) that Émile’s life was “in great danger” given his young age and the current heat of up to 35 degrees.
This topic in the program:The First | BRISANT | July 13, 2023 | 5:15 p.m
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