Boy, 2, still missing in French Alps nearly three days on

What happened?

The two-and-a-half-year-old boy, called Emile, was playing in his grandparents’ garden in the commune of Le Vernet, a 129-inhabitant village near Digne-les-Bains (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) on Saturday (July 8).

He had been due to stay for just over a week for a holiday, along with several other family members who are all aged 14, 15, and 16. The family were packing the car for an outing and it was during this moment that the toddler disappeared.

He is thought to have gone missing around 17:15. His disappearance was officially reported to authorities at around 18:00.

What action did the police take?

The gendarmerie of Digne-les-Bains has opened an inquiry and is working on the case, said public prosecutor Rémy Avon.

Since 18:40 on the evening of the disappearance, a search party has been combing the area for clues.

Police officers, firefighters, sniffer dogs and scores of local volunteers took part in the search. A gendarmerie helicopter using infrared heat detection technology has also been assigned. The search stopped late at night and restarted at 06:00 on Sunday (July 9).

In a statement, the prefecture of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence said: “From 18:40, a significant child search party has been in operation.”

The mayor of the village, François Balique said: “The entire territory is under surveillance and being scrutinised…many volunteers are checking behind every single bush to try and find him.

“We have looked at the most dangerous areas where he could have slipped,” said Mr Balique. “I've been mayor for a long, long time. I've never experienced this kind of situation. It's such an ordinary situation, with such dramatic possible consequences.”

Are there any leads?

Mr Balique suggested to BFMTV that the family believed the boy walked off of his own accord, and did not, for the moment, think he could have been kidnapped.

The mayor said: “He woke up from his nap at 17:00 and the family was getting ready to leave the house to go on an outing. And at that moment, he took advantage of the moment of hesitation to run off.

“There is nothing that makes us think that there has been a kidnapping.”

Some people saw the boy walking down the path away from the house, and did not worry because children would often be seen in the village, which is small and usually safe, the mayor said.

Mr Balique said: “Children are free in the villages, there’s no danger. It’s a quiet village. We just have some tourists who come to hike. [The village] is a cul-de-sac, you can see every car that comes and goes. It’s a small village with 20 houses, you can see everything.”

Yet, the boy was “a good walker”, the mayor said, and added that there is a steep, sloped area not far from his house. “Maybe he’s got stuck in a ditch,” he said.

What are the latest developments?

Mr Balique said on Monday (July 10) that searches are intensifying and involved 60 police officers, 24 firefighters and 200 volunteers.

The zone they are searching within has been enlarged, he added.

Since Sunday, the homes in the village are being searched, in cooperation with local residents, said Mr Balique.
On Tuesday, the searches took a new turn.
“The search will continue [on Tuesday] but we will adapt so that it is more targeted and selective,” said the prefect of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Marc Chappuis.

Who should people contact with any information?

So far, a kidnapping alert has not been issued, but a search notice on the Vernet Facebook page has asked anyone who may have any information to contact the mayor, gendarmerie, or the boy’s family.

The mayor said: “We’re perplexed. Everything is possible, of course, there will be consequences. We don’t know them yet, but we hope the outcome will be very positive and favourable.”