Missing French toddler – latest: Search for two-year-old Emile called off in Haut Vernet
The major land and air search for missing two-year-old Emile in a hamlet in the French Alps has been called off after four days as investigators say they are moving to a second “phase” of the operation.
Local prosecutor Remy Avon said the search did not yield any clues to solving the mystery of the boy’s disappearance and instead, investigators will now shift their focus to evaluating evidence already gathered.
He added: “The investigation into the causes of his disappearance will continue, notably through analysis of the considerable amount of information and elements gathered over four days.”
Emile was last seen playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute department of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, with his grandparents notifying the police of his disappearance at around 5.15pm local time on Saturday.
Police added on Wednesday that at least 10 people were present at the property where Emile was last seen amidst a family reunion, with “several uncles and aunts of the child, of all ages, including some minors”, a police source said.
Key Points
Search for missing two-year-old Emile called off
Police forced to switch ‘to another dimension’ 48 hours into search
Airborne search teams broadcasting recording of toddler’s mother ‘as loud as possible’
'We are not losing hope', says prefect
Search for missing toddler called off
04:15 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
A massive air and land search for a two-year-old missing toddler in a hamlet in the French Alps has been called off, investigators said, adding that they will now shift their focus to evaluation of evidence already gathered.
Local prosecutor Rémy Avon said in a statement said the massive search did not yield any clues to solving the mystery of the boy’s disappearance.
He added: “The investigation into the causes of his disappearance will continue, notably through analysis of the considerable amount of information and elements gathered over four days.”
Dozens of police officers and soldiers, backed by dog teams and a helicopter, were pressed into the search operation around Haut Vernet.
Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
02:00 , Eleanor Noyce
A desperate search is underway for a toddler who vanished from a garden while on holiday with his grandparents in the south of France.
Two-year-old Emile, whose surname is unknown, was playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday when he went missing.
His family was preparing to go out for the day when they noticed Emile had vanished, François Balique, the mayor of Le Vernet, told local media.
“He took advantage of this fleeting moment [of inattention] to leave,” he said of the boy’s disappearance.
Read the full story:
Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
Deadly plane crash, cafe murder and now missing toddler in the French village ‘cursed’ by tragedy
01:00 , Eleanor Noyce
The French village of Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence has dominated headlines following the disappearance of a young boy this weekend.
Émile, aged two-and-a-half, was playing in the garden of his grandparent’s house when he vanished on Saturday afternoon. A desperate hunt –involving helicopters, drones, and sniffer dogs – has been taking place to try and find the missing toddler.
A dedicated hotline number has received over 1,200 phone calls, but police still have “no clue” about Émile’s whereabouts as fears for his safety intensify on the fifth day since he went missing.
Le Vernet has been the site of a gruesome killing and devastating plane crash in the last 15 years, Matt Drake and Maanya Sachdeva report:
Deadly plane crash, cafe murder and missing toddler in village ‘cursed’ by tragedy
‘It reminds us of a lot of things’: Local mayor reflects as two-year-old remains missing
Thursday 13 July 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce
As the search continues for two-year-old Emile, a local mayor has reflected on the decades-old case of a 3-year-old that went missing in Ganagobie, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in 1989.
“It reminds us of a lot of things. I sent a little message of support to the mayor of Vernet, François Balique”, Ganagobie mayor Sylvie Belmonte told La Provence, referencing the disappearance of 3-year-old Yannis Moré in May 1989.
“I was town clerk and I took part in the search to try to find little Yannis”, he added.
Yannis had disappeared whilst playing with his three brothers, prompting a search of one hundred gendarmes, soldiers, firefighters and volunteers. However, there were no witnesses, no clues and no suspect.
“We had been settled in Ganagobie for 18 months... I saw them having fun from the window”, Yannis’s mother, Pascaline Moré, told La Provence in 2016. “We give ourselves hope”, she added.
ICYMI: Toddler’s disappearance in France: ‘We are not losing hope’, says prefect
Wednesday 12 July 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce
“We are not stopping the searches, we are not losing hope”, a prefect told reporters on Tuesday as the search for two-year-old Emile continues.
“As long as we have not located him, we are not losing hope.
“The searches did not bring the answers we expected. We have not located the child yet, but we continue searching and we remain on the ground and we are adapting our ways of searching for this investigation.”
‘They always do everything together’, close family member says of Emile’s family
Wednesday 12 July 2023 21:53 , Eleanor Noyce
A close family member has spoken of the close-knit family missing two-year-old Emile comes from.
“They always do everything together”, a close family member told La Provence, adding that Emile’s mother is the eldest of ten siblings.
“You know, when you have enough children to form two teams to play ball, there is no need to mix.”
Blood found on car ‘not human’, prosecutor says
Wednesday 12 July 2023 20:54 , Eleanor Noyce
The blood detected on the front of a car in Le Vernet, the French Alpine village where two-year-old Emile went missing on Saturday, was “not human blood but animal blood.”
“After analysis, it was not human blood but animal blood”, prosecutor Rémy Avon told La Provence.
Investigation to enter second phase from Thursday, police say
Wednesday 12 July 2023 18:57 , Eleanor Noyce
The investigation into the disappearance of two-year-old Emile will enter a second phase from Thursday, police have said.
Investigators will conduct an in-depth analysis of the “numerous elements” collected over the previous days, as prosecutor Rémy Avon noted that “the parents were not present at the time of the disappearance on Saturday.”
Blood detected on front of car in Le Vernet, police confirm
Wednesday 12 July 2023 17:43 , Eleanor Noyce
Blood has been detected on the front of a car in Le Vernet, the French Alpine village where a two-year-old boy went missing on Saturday.
“At the moment we don’t even know if it’s human blood”, MailOnline reported an investigative source as saying, noting that the traces have been transferred for scientific analysis to determine if they could be linked to missing Emile.
“It might be a very old trace too, so everybody is being very cautious about the find”, the source added.
Meanwhile, police confirmed that Emile’s parents home - in Bouilladisse - was searched on Monday, with one judicial source stating that “gendarmes were looking into the family’s background.”
Deadly plane crash, cafe murder and now missing toddler in the French village ‘cursed’ by tragedies
Wednesday 12 July 2023 17:24 , Eleanor Noyce
The French village of Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence has dominated headlines following the disappearance of a young boy this weekend.
Émile, aged two-and-a-half, was playing in the garden of his grandparent’s house when he vanished on Saturday afternoon. A desperate hunt –involving helicopters, drones, and sniffer dogs – has been taking place to try and find the missing toddler.
A dedicated hotline number has received over 1,200 phone calls, but police still have “no clue” about Émile’s whereabouts as fears for his safety intensify on the fifth day since he went missing.
Read more:
Locals of ‘cursed’ French village where toddler vanished recall earlier tragedies
In pictures: The search for missing two-year-old Emile
Wednesday 12 July 2023 16:58 , Eleanor Noyce
French police searching for a two-year-old boy who went missing from his grandparents’ garden in the French Alps on Saturday said on Tuesday they had no clues as to what could have happened to him.
The boy, Emile, was last seen walking down the street of his grandparents’ house - located in a remote mountain outpost with only two dozen inhabitants - by two witnesses on Saturday afternoon, a prosecutor said.
Police and gendarmes have entered every building of the settlement. Some 500 volunteers have also helped with the search, looking for Emile in the forests and fields that surround the village, the local prefect’s office said on Twitter.
“At this point, we don’t have any clues allowing us to follow any particular theory (on his whereabouts)”, the local public prosecutor told FranceInfo radio.
The search operations for two-year-old Emile are expected to end today, Rémy Avon, told Agence France-Presse, as he announced a new direction for the investigation.
Where is Le Vernet?
Wednesday 12 July 2023 15:37 , Eleanor Noyce
Two-year-old Emile went missing in Le Vernet, a small mountain village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in southeastern France.
It has a population of approximately 100.
‘It reminds us of a lot of things’: Local mayor reflects as two-year-old remains missing
Wednesday 12 July 2023 14:10 , Eleanor Noyce
As the search continues for two-year-old Emile, a local mayor has reflected on the decades-old case of a 3-year-old that went missing in Ganagobie, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in 1989.
“It reminds us of a lot of things. I sent a little message of support to the mayor of Vernet, François Balique”, Ganagobie mayor Sylvie Belmonte told La Provence, referencing the disappearance of 3-year-old Yannis Moré in May 1989.
“I was town clerk and I took part in the search to try to find little Yannis”, he added.
Yannis had disappeared whilst playing with his three brothers, prompting a search of one hundred gendarmes, soldiers, firefighters and volunteers. However, there were no witnesses, no clues and no suspect.
“We had been settled in Ganagobie for 18 months... I saw them having fun from the window”, Yannis’s mother, Pascaline Moré, told La Provence in 2016. “We give ourselves hope”, she added.
Search operations for Emile expected to end today, prosecutor says
Wednesday 12 July 2023 12:59 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The search operations for two-year-old Emile are expected to end today, Rémy Avon, told Agence France-Presse, as he announced a new direction for the investigation.
Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
Wednesday 12 July 2023 11:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
In case you missed it...
A desperate search is underway for a toddler who vanished from a garden while on holiday with his grandparents in the south of France.
Two-year-old Emile, whose surname is unknown, was playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday when he went missing.
His family was preparing to go out for the day when they noticed Emile had vanished, François Balique, the mayor of Le Vernet, told local media.
“He took advantage of this fleeting moment [of inattention] to leave,” he said of the boy’s disappearance.
“His grandparents realised he was no longer there when they went to put him in the car.”
Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
‘We are working on all the hypotheses’
Wednesday 12 July 2023 11:04 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Remy Anon, the prosecutor of the Republic of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in France, told reporters last evening that “we are working on all the hypotheses”.
He added: “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, the vital prognosis is very very engaged.”
Toddler's disappearance in France: 'We are not losing hope', says prefect
Wednesday 12 July 2023 10:24 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
French toddler may have gotten lost ‘chasing butterflies'
Wednesday 12 July 2023 09:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
A source from the emergency services said the two-year-old may have gotten lost “chasing butterflies”.
They said: “Émile was always chasing butterflies, and could have got a long way away, before hiding somewhere for a nap.
“Their hope is that Émile will be hidden in the countryside, and will come out when he hears his mother’s voice coming from a helicopter.”
Le Vernet: Locals of French village at centre of search for boy fear village is ‘cursed’ after previous tragedies
Wednesday 12 July 2023 08:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The French village of Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence has been struck by tragedy following the disappearance of a young boy.
Émile, aged two-and-a-half, was playing in the garden of his grandparent’s house when he vanished on Saturday afternoon.
Since then, a desperate search has been underway to try and find the missing toddler.
But this isn’t the first time that the sleepy village has been struck by tragedy.
Locals speaking to the media have said they are worried their village may be “cursed” as a result of the unfortunate tragedies which have taken place over the last 15 years.
Read the full story by Matt Drake here:
Locals of French village at centre of search for boy fear village is ‘cursed’
French police have ‘no clues’ in search for missing two-year-old
Wednesday 12 July 2023 08:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
French police searching for a two-year-old boy who went missing from his grandparents’ garden in the French Alps on Saturday said on Tuesday they had no clues as to what could have happened to him.
The boy, Emile, was last seen walking down the street of his grandparents’ house - located in a remote mountain outpost with only two dozen inhabitants - by two witnesses on Saturday afternoon, a prosecutor said.
Police and gendarmes have entered every building of the settlement. Some 500 volunteers have also helped with the search, looking for Emile in the forests and fields that surround the village, the local prefect’s office said on Twitter.
“At this point, we don’t have any clues allowing us to follow any particular theory (on his whereabouts)”, the local public prosecutor told FranceInfo radio.
'We are working on all the hypotheses'
Wednesday 12 July 2023 07:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Remy Anon, the prosecutor of the Republic of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in France, told reporters last evening that “we are working on all the hypotheses”.
He added: “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, the vital prognosis is very very engaged.”
‘We will have to give the gendarmes time’, says public prosecutor
Wednesday 12 July 2023 07:15 , Eleanor Noyce
“The 30 buildings that make up the Haut-Vernet building were completely visited. 25 people were heard, 12 vehicles visited, 12 hectares raked”, public prosecutor Rémy Avon told a press conference on Tuesday evening.
The search will resume tomorrow, as investigators probe the 1,200 calls received on the dedicated case line over the past 3 days.
“We will have to give the gendarmes time”, Mr Avon added.
ICYMI: What has the search for two-year-old Emile entailed?
Wednesday 12 July 2023 06:45 , Eleanor Noyce
So far, 500 volunteers have helped with the search for two-year-old Emile, who has been missing since Saturday.
Two-year-old Emile was last seen playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute department of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, with his grandparents notifying the police of his disappearance at around 5.15pm local time on Saturday.
“At this point, we don’t have any clues allowing us to follow any particular theory (on his whereabouts)”, the local prosecutor told Franceinfo Radio.
Meanwhile, a volunteer named Roxanne told the AFP news agency on Monday: “We took part in a big search this morning with 50 other people.
“There was a gap of two metres (7 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.”
The dedicated hotline has received 1,200 calls, with 30 buildings searched, 25 people interviewed, 12 vehicles searched and 12 hectares raked.
ICYMI: Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
Wednesday 12 July 2023 06:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar
A desperate search is underway for a toddler who vanished from a garden while on holiday with his grandparents in the south of France.
Two-year-old Emile, whose surname is unknown, was playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday when he went missing.
His family was preparing to go out for the day when they noticed Emile had vanished, François Balique, the mayor of Le Vernet, told local media.
Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
Le Vernet: Locals of French village at centre of search for boy fear village is ‘cursed’ after previous tragedies
Wednesday 12 July 2023 05:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar
The French village of Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence has been struck by tragedy following the disappearance of a young boy.
Émile, aged two-and-a-half, was playing in the garden of his grandparent’s house when he vanished on Saturday afternoon.
Since then, a desperate search has been underway to try and find the missing toddler.
But this isn’t the first time that the sleepy village has been struck by tragedy.
Locals speaking to the media have said they are worried their village may be “cursed” as a result of the unfortunate tragedies which have taken place over the last 15 years.
Read the full story by Matt Drake here:
Locals of French village at centre of search for boy fear village is ‘cursed’
Toddler's disappearance in France: 'We are not losing hope', says prefect
Wednesday 12 July 2023 05:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar
Volunteers searching for missing toddler
Wednesday 12 July 2023 04:45 , Maroosha Muzaffar
A volunteer who helped in the search for toddler Roxanne, told AFP news agency: “We took part in a big search this morning with 50 other people. There was a gap of two metres (7 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 added.
BFM TV reported that authorities yesterday used a recorded voice message by the toddler’s mother and broadcast it over loudspeakers from a helicopter, in the area of the search.
‘We are not losing hope’, the local prefect says
Wednesday 12 July 2023 04:15 , Maroosha Muzaffar
The local prefect, Marc Chappuis told reporters that “we’re not stopping the search, we are not losing hope”.
He said that the search was now becoming “more targeted” and “more selective”.
Specialist forensic units had been called in and the site was reportedly off limits to outsiders on Tuesday, prosecutor Remy Avon said.
“All possible explanations are on the table, we’re not favouring any, and we’re not ruling any out,” the prosecutor said.
Authorities clueless as search for the toddler continues
Wednesday 12 July 2023 03:48 , Maroosha Muzaffar
The authorities have been unable to find any clues to the whereabouts of the toddler who went missing over the weekend in the French Alps.
“At this point, we don’t have any clues allowing us to follow any particular theory (on his whereabouts)”, the local public prosecutor told Franceinfo Radio.
The local mayor, Francois Balique told French TV: “The family was getting ready to leave the house to go on an outing. He took advantage of this fleeting moment to leave. His grandparents realised he was no longer there when they went to put him in the car.”
Local reports said that at least 500 volunteers are helping with the search for the toddler in the areas surrounding the village.
What has the search for two-year-old Emile entailed?
Wednesday 12 July 2023 01:00 , Eleanor Noyce
So far, 500 volunteers have helped with the search for two-year-old Emile, who has been missing since Saturday.
Two-year-old Emile was last seen playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute department of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, with his grandparents notifying the police of his disappearance at around 5.15pm local time on Saturday.
“At this point, we don’t have any clues allowing us to follow any particular theory (on his whereabouts)”, the local prosecutor told Franceinfo Radio.
Meanwhile, a volunteer named Roxanne told the AFP news agency on Monday: “We took part in a big search this morning with 50 other people.
“There was a gap of two metres (7 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.”
The dedicated hotline has received 1,200 calls, with 30 buildings searched, 25 people interviewed, 12 vehicles searched and 12 hectares raked.
Searches for missing two-year-old boy to continue tomorrow, prosecutor says
Wednesday 12 July 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce
Searches for missing two-year-old Emile are to continue tomorrow, the local prosecutor told reporters on Tuesday evening.
“The area has been cordoned off and forbidden access to anyone outside the hamlet”, Digne-les-Bains prosecutor Remy Avon said.
“Searches will continue tomorrow. The gendarmerie is stepping up the investigation”, he added.
“More than 1,200 calls have been received and will now undergo checks.”
Where is Le Vernet?
Tuesday 11 July 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce
Two-year-old Emile went missing in Le Vernet, a small mountain village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in southeastern France.
It has a population of approximately 100.
Le Vernet: Locals of French village at centre of search for boy fear village is ‘cursed’ after previous tragedies
Tuesday 11 July 2023 22:20 , Eleanor Noyce
The French village of Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence has been struck by tragedy following the disappearance of a young boy.
Émile, aged two-and-a-half, was playing in the garden of his grandparent’s house when he vanished on Saturday afternoon.
Since then, a desperate search has been underway to try and find the missing toddler.
Matt Drake reports:
Locals of French village at centre of search for boy fear village is ‘cursed’
Toddler’s disappearance in France: ‘We are not losing hope’, says prefect
Tuesday 11 July 2023 21:23 , Eleanor Noyce
“We are not stopping the searches, we are not losing hope”, a prefect told reporters on Tuesday as the search for two-year-old Emile continues.
“As long as we have not located him, we are not losing hope.
“The searches did not bring the answers we expected. We have not located the child yet, but we continue searching and we remain on the ground and we are adapting our ways of searching for this investigation.”
ICYMI: Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
Tuesday 11 July 2023 19:45 , Eleanor Noyce
A desperate search is underway for a toddler who vanished from a garden while on holiday with his grandparents in the south of France.
Two-year-old Emile, whose surname is unknown, was playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday when he went missing.
His family was preparing to go out for the day when they noticed Emile had vanished, François Balique, the mayor of Le Vernet, told local media.
“He took advantage of this fleeting moment [of inattention] to leave,” he said of the boy’s disappearance.
“His grandparents realised he was no longer there when they went to put him in the car.”
My colleague Matt Mathers reports:
Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
‘We will have to give the gendarmes time’, says public prosecutor
Tuesday 11 July 2023 18:14 , Eleanor Noyce
“The 30 buildings that make up the Haut-Vernet building were completely visited. 25 people were heard, 12 vehicles visited, 12 hectares raked”, public prosecutor Rémy Avon told a press conference on Tuesday evening.
The search will resume tomorrow, as investigators probe the 1,200 calls received on the dedicated case line over the past 3 days.
“We will have to give the gendarmes time”, Mr Avon added.
Search ‘at the same point’ as yesterday, local prosecutor tells press conference
Tuesday 11 July 2023 17:27 , Eleanor Noyce
The search for missing two-year-old Emile is “at the same point” as it was yesterday, the local prosecutor has said.
“As I speak to you, the operations have not brought any useful elements to the investigation”, Rémy Avon, public prosecutor for Digne-les-Bains, told a press conference on Tuesday evening, La Provence reports.
“We have no clue, no information, no element that can help us understand this disappearance. We are at the same point than yesterday at the same time”, Mr Avon added.
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence prefect praises locals for 'exceptional outpouring of solidarity’ in search
Tuesday 11 July 2023 16:56 , Eleanor Noyce
On Monday, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence prefect Marc Chappuis announced that from Tuesday morning, the village would be closed to non-residents.
“Nearly 800 people took turns almost without interruption for two days to try to find the child, within a radius of 5 km around the place where he was last seen”, Mr Chappuis told reporters, praising the “neighbours, hikers, walkers, hunters from the surrounding communes” who “showed an exceptional outpouring of solidarity.”
“We don’t need new arrivals of reinforcements”, he added.
Local phone records to be analysed to understand ‘what phone calls were made, by whom and to whom’, says prosecutor
Tuesday 11 July 2023 16:05 , Eleanor Noyce
On Tuesday, 80 military police officers were deployed for a targeted search, employing search and rescue dogs and a helicopter, The Telegraph reports.
Local prosecutor Remy Avon confirmed that the search will now be “very detail-oriented”, including analysis of phone records locally to understand “what phone calls were made, by whom and to whom.”
Several witnesses have been questioned and houses in the village searched, with Mr Avon noting that “all possible explanations are on the table, we’re not favouring any, and we’re not ruling any out.”
‘It’s a quiet little hamlet’: Locals reflect as Le Vernet introduces residents-only restrictions
Tuesday 11 July 2023 15:46 , Eleanor Noyce
On Monday evening, the prefect of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and the prosecutor of Digne-les-Bains confirmed that only residents of Le Vernet are permitted to leave and enter the village, La Provence reports.
Two-year-old Emile’s disappearance has sent shockwaves through the community, with locals describing Le Vernet as “safe” and “quiet.”
“It’s a quiet little hamlet, you feel safe there, much more than in the city”, one resident told La Provence of the search.
“We all know each other here, I don’t think that a foreign person who would have gone up to the top of the village would have gone unnoticed”, another added.
‘We have really looked everywhere for him’, local says of search mission
Tuesday 11 July 2023 15:37 , Eleanor Noyce
Locals have stepped up in the search for the missing two-year-old, including bistro-owner Marie-Laure.
“We were preparing for the evening service when we were told the child had gone missing”, she told La Provence newspaper.
“We all went to see what we could do to help as quickly as possible. We have looked in places where he could be, we have really looked everywhere for him.”
In pictures: French gendarmes and volunteers take part in search operation
Tuesday 11 July 2023 15:20 , Eleanor Noyce
French gendarmes and volunteers alike have been pictured taking part in the search operation to find two-year-old Emile.
On Monday, Le Vernet’s mayor said that the scope of the search had been extended.
Toddler's disappearance in France: 'We are not losing hope', says prefect
Tuesday 11 July 2023 15:12 , Eleanor Noyce
“We are not stopping the searches, we are not losing hope”, a prefect has told reporters as the search for two-year-old Emile continues.
“As long as we have not located him, we are not losing hope.
“The searches did not bring the answers we expected. We have not located the child yet, but we continue searching and we remain on the ground and we are adapting our ways of searching for this investigation.”
Where is Le Vernet?
Tuesday 11 July 2023 14:57 , Eleanor Noyce
Two-year-old Emile went missing in Le Vernet, a small mountain village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur in southeastern France.
It has a population of approximately 100.
Airborne search teams broadcasting recording of toddler’s mother ‘as loud as possible’
Tuesday 11 July 2023 14:28 , Eleanor Noyce
With two-year-old Emile still missing, helicopters are now broadcasting the voice of his mother across the region in the hopes of finding him, MailOnline reports.
On Tuesday morning, airborne search teams were given a recording of her voice to play “as loud as possible.”
“Their hope is that Emile will be hidden in the countryside, and will come out when he hears his mother’s voice coming from a helicopter”, an emergency services source told MailOnline.
“Emile was always chasing butterflies, and could have got a long way away, before hiding somewhere for a nap”, the source added.
Police forced to switch ‘to another dimension’ 48 hours into search
Tuesday 11 July 2023 14:21 , Eleanor Noyce
As the search for two-year-old Emile continues, police have admitted that, after 48 hours, they’ve been forced to switch “to another dimension.”
“It is obvious that, after 48 hours, we have switched to another dimension. Hearings are underway”, a gendarmerie spokesperson told Le Point.
“Of course, we still have hope of finding him alive, but elsewhere. If he was dead in the perimeter, the dogs would have smelled him.
“If he was alive and hidden, we would also have found him given the means that were deployed”, the spokesperson added.
Elsewhere, La Provence reports that officials are now investigating whether the toddler could have been hit by a car or tractor and his body taken.
Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
Tuesday 11 July 2023 13:58 , Eleanor Noyce
A desperate search is underway for a toddler who vanished from a garden while on holiday with his grandparents in the south of France.
Two-year-old Emile, whose surname is unknown, was playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday when he went missing.
His family was preparing to go out for the day when they noticed Emile had vanished, François Balique, the mayor of Le Vernet, told local media.
My colleague Matt Mathers has the full story:
Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents
