The two-year-old has been missing for four days.
French police have said that they have found no clues in their investigation into the disappearance of a toddler at the weekend.
On Saturday afternoon (8 July), a boy named Emile – aged two-and-a-half – went missing in the small village of Haut-Vernet in the French Alps. In a statement on Sunday, the National Gendarmerie said:
“The prosecution of Digne-les-Bains is launching this call for witnesses with regard to anyone who was in the sector of the disappearance [on Saturday] afternoon and anyone who crossed the sector to get to Barcelonnette and the Ubaye Valley or to go down to Nice, Grasse, Draguignan and Aix-en-Provence.”
‼️#AppelàTémoins lancé après la disparition à #Vernet samedi 8 Juillet du petit #Émile 2 ans ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Z7JExQJKxB
— Gendarmerie nationale (@Gendarmerie) July 9, 2023
According to multiple outlets, Emile was staying with his grandparents when he went missing and was last seen by two neighbours walking alone on a street.
Haut-Vernet is situated at an altitude of 1,200 meters and has seen a heat wave in recent days.
In an update on Wednesday, local prosecutor Remy Avon told press that the authorities currently have “no clue, no information, no element” that could help them understand the disappearance.
“We are at the same point than yesterday at the same time,” he added.
“The 30 buildings that make up the Haut-Vernet were completely visited. 25 people were heard, 12 vehicles visited, 12 hectares raked.
“Medically we are told that beyond a period of 48 hours, given the young age of the child, given his constitution and considering that a human who would be deprived of food and water by the current high heat, his life is very much at risk.”
The investigation into the disappearance will continue, with more police resources to be deployed.
Main image via Twitter/Gendarmerie
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