Emergencies
After the discovery of a child’s bones: the search for clues in France continues
A walker came across the bones in the wooded area, photo
© Nicolas Tucat/AFP/dpa
Émile’s last journey ends in the forest: the bones of the missing two-year-old are found after several months. Was it an accident or a crime?
After the bones of two-year-old Émile, who disappeared in the summer, were found France continues to search for further clues. Around 100 gendarmes were on duty around the southern French mountain village of Le Vernet in the morning, including dog squads, forensic experts and anthropologists. The Aix-en-Provence public prosecutor’s office announced on Sunday that a bone had been found near the village.
The investigators’ genetic analysis showed that these were the bones of Émile, who had been missing for almost nine months. According to media reports, the child’s skull was discovered. After the bones were found, a statement from the parents, quoted by the media, said: “Pain and sorrow remain.”
Investigators are not ruling out an accident either
Émile’s disappearance caused great horror in France. The two-and-a-half-year-old boy had been on holiday with his grandparents in the southern French town of Le Vernet when they lost sight of him towards the evening on July 8th. Two witnesses said they saw the toddler running down a street. The investigators are investigating kidnapping and deprivation of liberty, but have not ruled out an accident.
In the days and weeks after the boy’s disappearance, the police repeatedly searched the area with a large number. Corpse detection dogs also combed the area. It was only on Thursday that the remote location was cordoned off in order to recreate the day of the disappearance on the spot. The wooded area where a walker came across the bones at the weekend had been combed several times. It is possible that the boy’s bones only arrived at the site later – perhaps through heavy rain, predators or a person.