Found Deceased France - Émile S., 2, outside grandparent’s house, Le Vernet, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, 8 July 2023

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shadwell

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  • #1
Witness appeal launched yesterday by the Gendarmerie Nationale regarding the disappearance of Emile S (aged two and a half years) from the village of le Vernet (04140) in Alpes Haute Provence on the afternoon of Saturday July 8th 2023. The boy was last seen by witnesses walking close to his grandparents’ house on Haut Vernet (a cul-de-sac south of le Vernet) at approximately 5.15pm.

Emile is described as having brown eyes, blond hair and is approximately 90cm tall. At the time of disappearance he was wearing a yellow top, white shorts (with a green motif) and walking shoes.

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  • #2
Originally from La Bouilladisse, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, Émile was looked after by his grandparents residing in the hamlet of Haut-Vernet, in the municipality of Le Vernet, this weekend. The little boy, who was in the garden after his nap, then escaped their surveillance.

"Apparently, the family was preparing to leave the house for an excursion. And at that time, he took advantage of this moment of fleet to spin," explains the mayor of the municipality of Vernet, François Balique, to BFMTV. "The grandparents realized that he was no longer there when they wanted to put him in the car." […]

In his press briefing this Sunday evening, the public prosecutor announced that according to two testimonies, the child was seen "leaving the place of residence of his grandparents".


"He is seen in a descending street by two people, that's where we then lose track," said the public prosecutor.

Contacted by BFMTV, the prosecutor specified that the witnesses are neighbors who saw the young child near the grandparents' house.

 
  • #3
Oh no, missing since Saturday and today is Monday. I hope he's found safe today. His poor grandparents and parents.
 
  • #4
Location of last sighting:


Circled in this BFMTV video (see also screenshot attached below):

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  • #5

106.5 Riviera Radio

Missing two-year-old - An investigation has been opened and a major search is still underway after the worrying disappearance of a two-year-old child in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday. The boy reportedly managed to escape the attention of his grandparents while playing in the garden of their home in Le Vernet, north-east of Digne-les-Bains, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. The mayor of Vernet assures that the inhabitants of the village saw Emile "going down the road". " According to the mayor, "about sixty volunteers from the village and also from the surrounding villages" are helping the police in the search. As the search continues and concern grows. "Anything is possible," sighs the mayor but according to him the possibility of a kidnapping is "improbable".
 
  • #6

Balique said the boy was a good walker for his age and there was no suggestion he had been abducted. “It’s a small village with 20 or so houses … we see everything,” he said. “He could have gone some distance and perhaps got lost or was hiding.”

Police, gendarmes and firefighters were joined by family members and villagers after the grandparents alerted them to Émile’s disappearance at about 5.15pm local time. Search and rescue teams using a helicopter, drones equipped with thermic cameras and sniffer dogs have combed the area since, but no trace of the child has been found despite covering more than 1,200 acres.

 
  • #7
Most probable scenario is that he wandered off and got lost by the sounds of it. Hope they find him soon.
 
  • #8

Authorities have thoroughly searched all the houses in Vernet, with the consent and cooperation of the local residents. This operation is part of the wider search strategy, which is being executed in a methodical manner, compartment by compartment. The local prefect of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region confirmed that the search resumed on Monday morning.




Many inhabitants, in particular seasoned hikers, are also mobilized for the research. The child’s parents are there. ” The family is known here, they have been coming for decades on vacation. Émile was playing with his grandparents and he disappeared. Many police and firefighters are present. But also the inhabitants of the village and the canton to try to find the child “, testified the mayor of Vernet, François Balique.


 
  • #9

The scope of the search was extended on Monday, July 10, to find Emile, a 2.5-year-old child, who disappeared after escaping the vigilance of his grandparents on Saturday in Le Vernet, a village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. , according to the mayor of the town. “The searches have resumed, they have been intensified and the perimeter has been extended”explained François Balique, the mayor of Vernet.

The search resumed at 6 a.m. Monday, said the gendarmerie, which mobilized around sixty soldiers, a helicopter and a Saint-Hubert dog, with a very developed sense of smell.


 
  • #10
According to this paywalled and impossible to copy article from La Provence, Emile is part of a large family, staying at their holiday home in Haut Vernet, where they have been regular visitors for the last twenty years and are well known in the village.

 
  • #11
Most probable scenario is that he wandered off and got lost by the sounds of it. Hope they find him soon.

Early BFM reports had it that he wandered off while the grandparents were loading up the car for a trip out - though now it’s reported that they were staying at their holiday home it may be they were loading up to leave. It may be that Emile didn’t want to go home and so hid nearby, or there was something he wanted to do or see before leaving, possibly causing him to go further afield.
 
  • #12
I hope they're able to find him safe very soon. Heartwarming to see so much local cooperation.
 
  • #13
Some more pics. to give a better visual.

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Source
 
  • #14
Stunning place.
 
  • #15
  • #16

The scope of the search was extended on Monday, July 10, to find Emile, a 2.5-year-old child, who disappeared after escaping the vigilance of his grandparents on Saturday in Le Vernet, a village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. , according to the mayor of the town. “The searches have resumed, they have been intensified and the perimeter has been extended”explained François Balique, the mayor of Vernet.

The search resumed at 6 a.m. Monday, said the gendarmerie, which mobilized around sixty soldiers, a helicopter and a Saint-Hubert dog, with a very developed sense of smell.


Do we know what kind of wildlife is in the area? There appears to be a great deal of open land around the Village. Please be found safe little Emile. His family must be just sick with worry. :(
 
  • #17
:(
 
  • #18
What a beautiful place. But not one for a 2-year-old to be wandering within. There are other similar cases here with every possible outcome. Really hoping this one will have that happy outcome; I think he's out there exploring.
 
  • #19
I hope they find that little cutie soon. What's the weather like? Does it get real cold at night?
 
  • #20
I hope they find that little cutie soon. What's the weather like? Does it get real cold at night?
I searched the weather. It shows that it will be in the
60's range tonight. I searched from here in the U.S. so I'm assuming that's Fahrenheit.
 
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