- Final sweep search: French police conduct “final sweep” search in French Alps for missing toddler
- Limited clues: Few results from ground search, blood stain in vehicle found to be from an animal
- Possibility of self-disappearance: Investigators consider the possibility that the toddler disappeared on his own
French investigators believe it is highly improbable that the two-year-old disappeared on his own, but concede that their ground search has yielded few results.
The French police are conducting a “final sweep” search in the French Alps for a missing two-year-old child.
50 officers will scour a 1.8-kilometer (1.1-mile) stretch of road near the boy’s grandparents until 4 pm local time (3 pm UK time) today.
Two witnesses last saw the boy, identified only as Emile, walking down the street near his grandparents’ home on Saturday afternoon, according to authorities.
They reside in a desolate mountain village with only two dozen residents near Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence between Grenoble and Nice, just outside of Le Vernet.
Wednesday, police announced they would no longer conduct a “large-scale” search for the boy and would instead examine the information they have gathered thus far.
Remy Avon, the prosecutor of Digne-les-Bains, said in a statement to the AFP news agency on Wednesday, “The judicial investigation into the causes of the disappearance will continue, in particular by analyzing the vast amount of information and evidence collected over the past four days.”
In addition, he acknowledged that there were very few clues regarding the toddler’s disappearance, and he stated that an analysis of a blood stain found in a vehicle revealed that it was from an animal.
Previously, police and gendarmes had searched every building in the small community where Emile went missing, and 500 volunteers assisted in the search by combing the surrounding forests and fields.
Mr. Avon added that it could not be ruled out that Emile disappeared on his own, “even if this probability is extremely low.”
The local mayor, Francois Balique, had previously stated on French television, “The family was preparing to depart for an outing. He utilized this transient opportunity to depart.
“When his grandparents went to put him in the car, they realized he was no longer there.”
BFM TV reported that authorities were using a recorded voice message by Emile’s mother, relayed over helicopter loudspeakers in the search area.
