Where did little Emile go? The two-and-a-half-year-old child has disappeared, Saturday July 8, around 6 p.m., in Vernet, a hamlet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, where he escaped the vigilance of his grandparents. And while the search operations “have not yet made it possible to find the child”according to the prefect of Alpes-de-de-Haute-Provence, all the houses in the town have been searched since Sunday, “in consultation with the inhabitants”learned franceinfo from the gendarmes. Follow our live.
An important device deployed. The prefect of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence announced that 60 gendarmes, 24 firefighters and 200 volunteers were mobilized to participate in the research. “Not only have the searches resumed, but they have intensified”assured François Balique, the mayor of the town on franceinfo. “The search scope has been expanded”, he continued, “the helicopter flies over the area” since dawn, supported by a canine team, volunteers and the rescue forces.
Seen by two witnesses. Twenty-four hours after his disappearance, there is still no reason to speak of an accident or a kidnapping, hammered the public prosecutor of Digne-les-Bains, Rémy Avon, during a press briefing on Sunday evening. According to the first elements of the investigation, the child left “the place of residence of his grandparents” and was seen “in a downhill street by two people. This is where we then lose track of him”said the public prosecutor.
A call for witnesses launched. The prosecution launched a call for witnesses at midday, with the photo and description of the child broadcast on all media. The child has brown eyes, blond hair, he is 90 cm tall and wears an outfit with a yellow top, white shorts with a green pattern and hiking shoes. In case of information, you must contact 04 92 36 73 00. The criteria for triggering an abduction alert were not “to date not reunited”, insisted the prosecutor.