Missing French toddler: Neighbours divided by Émile's grandmother's recent behaviour

It's been a month now since little Émile, aged 2 and a half, disappeared while playing in his grandparents' garden at their holiday home in Haut-Vernet, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region of France. Since then, the investigation seems to have come to a standstill, with no serious leads being pursued by investigators.

On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, Paris Match journalists visited the place where the child was last seen, which is also where two little boys went missing 30 years ago. And they were able to meet the villagers.

Émile's grandmother resumed her activities

And tongues have been wagging, quite contrary to the child's family, who have been silent for several weeks to avoid hampering the investigation. In particular, the attitude of Anne, little Emile's grandmother, who surprised some residents by resuming her summer activities, such as shopping and swimming...

Interviewed from the terrace of the village café, a woman named Éliane reacted to the grandmother's behaviour:

Today, people don't understand that the grandmother can go about her usual business, like shopping or going to the pool. At least that's what people are saying... If it had been me and the search had been suspended from July 13 to 25, I would have been very upset, I would have asked the journalists for help!

Read more:Missing French toddler: The real reason why the police isn't releasing new information revealed

An attitude that divides the villagers

At the same time, another villager defended Émile's family, explaining that they were doing their utmost not to disrupt the investigation. The man talked to Paris Match about Émile's family.

Are they being criticized for not acting visibly? The investigators and the prefect have advised them not to talk to the media. Their aim is not to hinder the progress of the investigations.

Read more:Missing French Toddler: Who are little Emile's parents and grandparents?

This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.

Sources used:

Paris Match

TF1 Info