A real mystery surrounds the fate of a 2 and a half year old French boy named Emile, who disappeared into thin air from a small village (25 inhabitants) in the Alpes de Haute Provence, north of Digne-les-Bains, where he was just arrived with his maternal grandparents for the holidays.
After the alarm, the forces of order have searched the area from top to bottom, even with the help of helicopters and canine units. But no trace of Emile.
Volunteers and scientific experts are also in action, the latter called to sift through hundreds of calls and telephone messages from people present in the area .
The boy was last seen at 5.15pm on Saturday by two neighbors while he was playing alone in an alley of the village. Then nothing more.
The investigations continue in secrecy and it is not even known who of Emile's family was present in the house at the time of the child's disappearance.
"In 48 hours we should have found the child in this perimeter, of about 5 kilometers," said the prefect Marc Chappuis . Adding: "but we don't stop, we don't lose hope".
Meanwhile, word has spread on social media of an appeal that Emile's mother and father, fervent Catholics, would have launched: an invitation to pray to a local "seer" - the venerable sister Benoite Rencurel - to allow her to find the healthy little one It is safe.
(Unioneonline/lf)
