A frantic search for a missing two-year-old boy who went missing from his grandparents’ garden in France five days ago has tragically ended.
French investigators announced they’re calling off search and rescue efforts after hundreds of police officers and volunteers scoured 97 hectares of land in a bid to find missing Emile.
Prosecutor Rémy Avon said investigators are shifting their focus to a second phase where they will analyse interviews, telephone records and vehicle inspections.
He added the boy’s life was “very much at risk” due to the age and sweltering temperatures in the region.
Emile was in the care of his grandparents and extended family in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence – a region of France that borders Italy – on the day of his disappearance.
His parents were at their home in Marseilles at the time, with Emile allegedly wandering away from his grandparents’ property when his extended family were getting ready to leave the house.
Marc Chappuis, the police officer in charge of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, described the boy as someone who “was able to walk quite a distance”.
In the days since Emile went missing, French authorities worked through 1.8 kilometres of road within the region while helicopters played a recording of his mother’s voice in a bid to find him.
He was last seen by neighbours leaving the home on Saturday, with police exploring two theories: he either ran away into the countryside or was kidnapped.
No arrests have been made or charges laid at this stage, with Chappuis stating “there is no person implicated”. Investigations remain ongoing.