
Everything we know about missing toddler in French Alps as police abandon search
Police in France are wrapping up the search for a missing toddler after scouring a remote village in the French Alps for five days. Two-year-old Emile was on holiday with his grandparents when he vanished while playing in a garden, sparking a frantic hunt that involved thermic camera drones, helicopters and sniffer dogs. Searches have so far yielded no clues to the whereabouts of the missing boy and police launched a last-ditch bid to find him on Thursday. Here’s a look at everything we know about the case so far. Where did Emile disappear? Emile, whose surname has not been reported, was playing in the garden of a property in Le Vernet - a small village of around 20 houses in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday when he went missing. His family was preparing to go out hiking for the day when they realised the child, who lives near Marseille, had disappeared.The boy’s grandparents had been packing the car when he vanished. Emile is described as 3ft tall, with brown eyes and blonde hair and was wearing a yellow T-shirt, white shorts with a green pattern and walking shoes when he vanished. Reports said he was seen by two people when he left the property but they “lost sight of him”. Police said on Wednesday that at least 10 people were present at the property where Emile was last seen amid a family reunion, with “several uncles and aunts of the child, of all ages, including some minors”, a police source said. How has the search unfolded Authorities in France issued an appeal for information about Emile on 9 July after the boy was reported missing by his grandparents at 5.15pm the previous day. The search operation covered the land and air around Le Vernet and involved hundreds of police officers, soldiers and volunteers, The manager of a local restaurant said staff had looked “everywhere” for the boy as local volunteers helped with the search. “We were preparing for the evening service, when we were told the child had gone missing,” the manager told La Provence. “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.” At one point during the search, police helicopters played the voice of Emile’s mother through speakers in the hope that it could help bring him out. On Wednesday evening it was reported that a vehicle with blood on it had been found amid the ongoing search for missing French toddler Emile. In a statement to La Provence, local prosecutor Rémy Avon said analysis had revealed the sample “animal blood”. Emile has now been missing for a week, as investigators admitted they have “no clue” what happened to him. Mr Avon also said that he had taken the decision to call off the “physical” search for Emile on Thursday. Police had been looking at a final plot of land in an area of Vernet, with around 50 officers taking part. “The judicial investigation into the causes of the disappearance will continue,” Mr Avon added. “In particular by analysing the considerable mass of information and elements collected over the past four days.” Police are today combing a 1.8km-long road, that has previously been searched before, in the hope of finding new evidence in Emile’s disappearance. But police say they will be searching the stretch of road more “meticulously” this time. What have politicians said? The mayor of Le Vernet on Friday said the best hope for the missing toddler is that “he’s been kidnapped and is alive”. In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro, Francois Balique commented on police calling off the physical search for Emile after five days and possible explanation’s for his disappearance. “Our only hope now is that he’s been taken and is alive. It’s the last thing we can hope for and it’s already terrible. “We could consider that someone wanting to cause harm to a child passed by the area, that he saw this beautiful little boy and took him away. He couldn’t survive alone in the wild, that’s for sure.” Mr Balique said it is ”difficult to favour one hypothesis over another” but explained that “the probabilities and the rationality would lead us to believe that we are dealing with an accident”. He continued: “And since little Emile’s body has not been found, it means that he was not alone at the time. We can consider a car accident in which the driver would have panicked and concealed the body. That’s one hypothesis.” Local politician Sylvie Belmontes had earlier said the search reminded her of the case of Yannis Moré, who vanished from Ganagobie, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in 1989 while playing with friends. “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. Mr Avon told a press conference earlier this week that police had “no clue” where the boy was. “His grandparents realised he was no longer there when they went to put him in the car.” What happens next Mr Avon said the previous searches did not yield any clues to solving the mystery of the boy’s disappearance and instead, investigators will be shifting their focus to evaluating evidence already gathered. “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,” he added. Read More ‘Best hope’ for toddler missing in French Alps for week is ‘if he’s been kidnapped’ Desperate search for French toddler who vanished on holiday with grandparents Missing French toddler – latest: ‘Only hope is Emile has been taken and is alive,’ Le Vernet mayor says Greece ‘like Africa’ as Europe melts in deadly heatwave forecast to smash record Russian antiwar activist allowed into Serbia after spending more than a day at the Belgrade airport Wagner mercenaries are in Belarus and training the country’s soldiers
2023-07-15 02:17

Did Jason Aldean sing 'Go Woke, Go Broke'? Truth behind viral single attributed to musician amid 'Try That in a Small Town' controversy
Jason Aldean received flak for 'Try That in a Small Town,' sparking debates about the portrayal of urban versus rural settings
2023-08-05 16:25

White House preparing for government shutdown as House Republicans lack a viable endgame for funding
The White House is preparing to direct federal agencies to get ready for a shutdown after House Republicans left town for the weekend with no viable plan to keep the government funded
2023-09-23 01:20

Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan refuses home search by police, sets his own terms
By Mubasher Bukhari and Asif Shahzad LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) -Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday refused police permission
2023-05-20 01:27

Olivia Dunne's Tim McGraw-inspired Labor Day message takes Internet by storm, fans dub TikTok star 'prettiest person alive'
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne created a Labor Day buzz by posting a video on TikTok by playing Tim McGraw's 'Something Like That'
2023-09-07 16:17

China wants to ban clothes that 'hurt nation's feelings'
A draft law sparks debate with locals calling it excessive and questioning how it would be enforced.
2023-09-07 14:17

UK lawmakers likely to back a scathing report that slammed Boris Johnson over 'partygate'
Britain’s House of Commons is likely to endorse a report that found Boris Johnson lied to lawmakers about lockdown-flouting parties in his office
2023-06-19 18:23

Both sides suffer heavy casualties as Ukraine strikes back against Russia, UK assessment says
British officials say Russia and Ukraine are suffering high numbers of military casualties as Ukraine fights to dislodge the Kremlin’s forces from occupied areas in the early stages of its counteroffensive
2023-06-18 17:46

Dozens feared drowned after migrant boat sinks off Spain's Canary Islands
Dozens of people are feared drowned after a migrant boat sank near Spain's Canary Islands on Wednesday, according to Spanish officials and aid group Walking Borders.
2023-06-23 01:46

Too much information? Jason Isbell believes opening your life to fans builds a stronger bond
If Jason Isbell is keeping many more secrets, it's hard to imagine what they might be
2023-06-05 23:51

Who owns Frugals? Listeria infection that spread from Tacoma outlet leaves 3 dead and 6 hospitalized
The deaths of three people in Washington are being blamed on ice cream machines at Frugals Tacoma that were not properly cleaned by staff
2023-08-22 19:49

Kosovo must grant Serbs more autonomy to join EU and NATO, US envoy says
BELGRADE (Reuters) -Kosovo must give greater autonomy to Serb-majority municipalities in the north of the country if it wants to
2023-06-07 19:53
You Might Like...

Ed Sheeran claims Eminem 'cured' his childhood stutter caused by traumatic medical procedure

Physics student kept 'dream' space flight secret from work

A Danish artist who submitted empty frames as artwork is appealing court ruling to repay the cash

Fox News' Tomi Lahren in hot water over 'screw your masks and mandates' remark, Internet says 'can't fix stupid'

Montana youth first to trial over whether state obligated to protect residents from climate change

Integrated DNA Technologies Launches New Respiratory Virus Panel

Dillon Danis accuses 'idiot' Logan Paul of 'yelling' at him while being 'coked out' during DAZN face-off interview

UPS reaches tentative contract with 340,000 unionized workers potentially dodging calamitous strike