Missing French toddler: Everything we know about Émile's family

On Saturday 8 July, in the little town of Le Vernet, Emile a 2-year-old boy was reported missing by his grandparents. At the time of the disappearance, Emile was staying with his grandparents for the holidays. They reported that they lost sight of him Saturday 8 July, at around 5pm.

Now, five days later, Emile is still nowhere to be found. Police is searching the area one last time on Thursday 13 July.

His parents, who recently moved to the heart of Bouilladisse, a small town in the Bouches-du-Rhône, used to come and stay in the village of Le Vernet every vacation. Here's everything we know about this very discreet family.

A religious family

In Bouilladisse, Bouches-du-Rhône, the family is known for being 'very traditional Catholics, the kind who go to Latin Mass in Marseille,' according to Nice-Matin. The Mayor of Bouilladisse, José Morales says about the family:

Marie, Émile's mother, is a village girl. His grandmother was one of our teachers. His father, who hadten unschooled children before high school, is an osteopath here. He wanted to be a priest before he fell in love

The parents, who previously lived near Marseille, had not yet enrolled the toddler in daycare or school. According to the media,the investigators also looked into Emile's father's past.

A family of 10 children

In Le Vernet, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region of France, everyone knew Émile's family as they had been coming to the village for the vacations for some twenty years. 'Émile is the son of the eldest in a family of 10,' explains one villager to La Provence.

'They're a great bunch, and it's always been a pleasure to see them,' relates another resident of the village. 'With ten children, it was bound to be a lot of fun!' The family used to organize a classical music concert with religion inspirations at the church.

Call for witnesses to find Émile

On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, while the police will continue to gather information, the investigation appears to be at a standstill. Asa reminder, a call for witnesses was launched mid-day on Saturday. The child has brown eyes, blond hair, is 90cm tall and is wearing a yellow top, white shorts with a green pattern and hiking boots.

If you're travelling in France and have any information, please call 04 92 36 73 00.

This article is translated from OMMFR

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Sources:

La Provence: Disparition du petit Émile au Vernet : sa famille ne "passe pas inaperçue" et participe à la vie du village

CNEWS: DISPARITION D’EMILE : CE QUE L’ON SAIT DE LA FAMILLE DU PETIT GARÇON

Nice-Matin: Disparition du petit Émile: à La Bouilladisse, où vivent ses parents, on retient aussi son souffle