2023-07-11 05:13:16
After 48 hours, the report delivered by Marc Chappuis, the prefect of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is implacable and terrible: “We could not locate the child. For two days, several hunts took place in Haut-Vernet, a hamlet of 25 houses located on the heights of a small town of 2,000 inhabitants, in order to find little Émile, 2, who disappeared after escaping surveillance on Saturday. of his maternal grandparents. In total, more than 800 people took part in this fruitless search which extended over a perimeter of 5 km2 around the town perched at an altitude of 1300 m.
Entrusted to the gendarmes of the research section of Marseille, the investigations will now be tightened in the hamlet of Haut-Vernet and will be exclusively managed by the military. The “civilians” will be denied access this Tuesday, July 11 in order to let the gendarmes work – more than 60 are mobilized – in this steep, wooded area dotted with small streams.
Witnesses heard, almost all houses visited
This Tuesday’s research will aim in particular to collect any useful clues in the context of the judicial investigation. The Saint-Hubert of the gendarmerie, dogs renowned for their flair, should again be used by the investigators. At this stage, if they have “marked” on certain places recently frequented by the little boy, the dogs have not made it possible to find Émile.
VIDEO. Disappearance of little Émile: “We do not lose hope”, says the prefect after two days of research
Since Saturday, beyond the operational research to find the little boy, the investigators have multiplied the hearings of witnesses to try to explain the circumstances of his disappearance. In particular, they heard two people at length who explained that, around 5:15 p.m. Saturday, they saw the little boy alone near the home of his grandparents. They also interviewed practically all the inhabitants of the hamlet. Almost all (23 out of 25) of the houses in the town were also “visited” by the gendarmes. Without success so far.
Nothing directs the investigation towards a criminal lead at this stage
“Many people must be heard again in order to refine the research or to see if details have escaped them, confides a source close to the investigations. The investigative technique is quite simple: we hear as many people as possible without ruling out any leads. »
According to the first elements gleaned by the gendarmes, no suspicious element appears in the entourage of the family of the very young boy. For the prosecutor of Digne-les-Bains, Rémy Avron, nothing directs the investigation towards the criminal track at this stage. “As it stands, we have no element that characterizes a criminal offense,” he explained on Monday evening during a short press briefing. The investigation remains open at this stage for “disturbing disappearance”.
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