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

Mystery still surrounds the disappearance of Émile, the little boy whose trail was lost on July 8 in the hamlet of Haut-Vernet, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region of France. Despite the colossal efforts made by the authorities and the mobilization of the local community, the child is still nowhere to be found.

However, there are signs of hope in this enigmatic case. Two residents of Haut-Vernet are convinced they saw the boy in a village street.

'I know what I saw'

In a situation where every clue counts, a statement from a local resident could prove decisive. Interviewed by Le Parisien, one of the hamlet's two witnesses asserts with conviction that he saw Émile on the evening of his disappearance.

I know what I saw.

According to him, the child was spotted on a sloping street in the hamlet, the same one that leads to the center of the village of 25 inhabitants. This lead seems all the more credible given that Émile's grandparents' house overlooks this street. The two witnesses appear reliable, according to the police.

Read more:Missing French Toddler: Neighbours shocked by Émile's parents' reaction to his disappearance

It's not the first time they've corroborated this version

The two witnesses, a teenager and a man in his 60s, had already reported their observations. They confirmed that they had seen the 2-and-a-half-year-old child walking down an alley in Haut-Vernet. They were not worried, however, as it is common in the hamlet to come across children playing alone in the street, where traffic is scarce.

Even so, almost a month after the boy's disappearance, the chances of finding him alive are almost zero. The search continues, with the deployment of trained dogs, a dog squad with drones, and large-scale searches. Investigators will also be analyzing the 1,400 telephone reports registered on the dedicated hotline, which was set up following the launch of an appeal for witnesses.

Read more:Missing French Toddler: Residents of Le Vernet no longer believe in a 'happy ending' for Émile

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.

Source used:

La Parisien