Missing French toddler: One of Émile's neighbours' targeted by inhabitants 'I'm looked down on'

It's been over three months since two-year-old Émile disappeared from the hamlet of Haut-Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region of France. Since July 8, 2023, the little boy has remained missing despite numerous searches. An investigation has been underway for several months, and this is making life particularly difficult for the village's inhabitants, to the point where they are all becoming suspicious.

A man says he's 'looked down on'

Émile's disappearance, which continues to generate a great deal of publicity, prompted Le Monde to publish a lengthy investigation on Thursday, September 21, 2023. In it, the magazine reveals that many residents of Haut-Vernet are accused of being responsible for Émile's disappearance. One man, for example, claimed that he was 'looked down on' because, according to his neighbours, he 'looked like a rapist'. On another occasion, it was a teenager who was blamed by local residents at the start of the investigation.

A local resident told BFM TV that the young man had 'a habit of driving a tractor at high speed through the village streets. In Vernet, that makes him an ideal culprit'. The young man was eventually cleared by the investigators. But, despite everything, suspicions for this man are still present. A local resident once again assured Le Monde:

I was sure it was him, that he had caused an accident.

Read more:Missing French toddler: Neighbour claims to have seen little Émile when he disappeared

Paranoia grips residents of Haut-Vernet

According to the lengthy investigation carried out by Le Monde, the suspicions of local residents persist, and paranoia is spreading among the natives of Haut-Vernet.

Some Vernet residents are convinced that plainclothes gendarmes come to mingle with them, incognito, at village festivals.

François Balique, the village mayor, told the magazine:

It's a mystery. Why are people so interested in it? Because it's as mysterious as a miracle. But a tragic miracle...

Read more:Missing French toddler: Mysterious call for help was heard two months before Emile disappeared

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.

Source used:

Le Monde, BFM TV