Search under way for toddler missing for third day in French Alps

Hundreds of volunteers are helping rescue services to look for a boy who went missing in the tiny village of Haut-Vernet.

A picture shows a call for witnesses for Emile, a missing boy, who disappeared on July 8, 2023 in Le Vernet, southeastern France. — The picture shows a call for witnesses who may have seen Emile, who disappeared on July 8 [@GendarmerieNationale_Twitter handout via AFP]

The third day of searching is under way for a missing toddler in the French Alps with rescue services “not losing hope”.

Emile, who is two and a half, was staying with his grandparents when he went missing on Saturday. He was last seen by two neighbours walking alone on a street of Haut-Vernet, a tiny village of 25 inhabitants at an altitude of about 1,200 metres (about 3,900 feet).

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“We’re not stopping the search, we are not losing hope,” the local prefect, Marc Chappuis, told reporters on Monday evening.

But after 48 hours of combing through the area without success, the search was now becoming “more targeted” and “more selective”, he said.

A French Gendarmerie vehicle drives passed volunteers taking part in a search operation for two-and-a-half-year-old Emile who is reported missing — A French Gendarmerie vehicle drives past volunteers taking part in a search operation [Nicolas Tucat/AFP]

Specialist forensic units had been called in, and more residents would be interviewed in the hope of clues as to the whereabouts of the boy.

The site is off limits to outsiders as of Tuesday, prosecutor Remy Avon said.

Investigators still had no leads as to what might have happened to Emile.

“All possible explanations are on the table, we’re not favouring any, and we’re not ruling any out,” the prosecutor said.

Several witnesses had been questioned, and all houses in the hamlet searched, except for two that are uninhabited, he said.

For now, there was nothing to indicate foul play, he said.

Volunteers take part in a search operation for two-and-a-half-year-old Emile who is reported missing — Volunteers take part in a search operation for Emile in the French Alps [Nicolas Tucat/AFP]

Hundreds of volunteers have signed up to help with the search.

“We took part in a big search this morning with 50 other people,” said Roxane, 19, who came with two friends to help on Monday.

“There was a gap of two metres (seven feet) between each of us, we looked in the fields, and in the woods. We looked out for the smallest clue, maybe an item of clothing or a shoe he could have lost,” she said.

The terrain in the search zone is hilly and craggy with many streams, and the region has been hit by a heatwave, with temperatures forecast to reach 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.

Police, still hoping for a breakthrough thanks to witness statements, have circulated a picture of the blond and hazel-eyed boy who was wearing a yellow top, white shorts and hiking shoes the day he disappeared.

Source: AFP