Police call off sweep for toddler who went missing in the French Alps

The huge search to find missing two year old Emilie has officially been called off.

After conducting their final sweep, yesterday (July 13), authorities confirmed the search in the French Alps to find the missing boy who disappeared on the weekend has finished.

Earlier this week, the police said it would end its ‘large-scale’ search and explore the information they have gathered so far.

In a statement given to the AFP news agency on Wednesday (July 12), Remy Avon, the prosecutor of Digne-les-Bains, said: "The judicial investigation into the causes of the disappearance will continue, in particular by analysing the considerable mass of information and elements collected over the past four days."

Twitter/@Gendarmerie

The two-year-old was staying with his grandparents in Haut-Vernet, a tiny village of 25 inhabitants at an altitude of around 1200 metres when he went missing.

The toddler was last seen walking down the street near his grandparents' house by two witnesses on Saturday afternoon, according to authorities.

His grandparents notified the police of his disappearance at around 5.15pm local time on Saturday.

He was reported to have been wearing white shorts and a yellow top at the time.

“The family was getting ready to leave the house to go on an outing. He took advantage of this fleeting moment to leave," Francois Balique, the local mayor, told French TV.

"His grandparents realised he was no longer there when they went to put him in the car."

Police officers and soldiers, backed by dog teams and a helicopter, had searched 30 buildings, 12 vehicles and sweeped 97 hectares of the area, as per The Guardian.

Additionally, authorities confirmed they had interviewed over 20 witnesses.

Police also have blood on a car that could be linked to the child’s disappearance, according to Metro UK.

The traces of blood have been sent to the lab for analysis.

“At the moment we don’t even know if it is human blood,” said an investigating source, as per the outlet.

“It might be a very old trace too, so everybody is being very cautious about the find.”

Topics: News, World News

Charisa Bossinakis

Charisa Bossinakis is an Associative Journalist at LADbible. Charisa has worked across various media platforms including, print, digital, radio and podcasting while maintaining the highest regard for quality work and integrity. She also covered everything from breaking news, to pop culture, entertainment and politics and is part of the editorial team for LADbible.

@CBossinakis