Émile (2) has been missing without a trace since 8 July, when he suddenly disappeared from his grandparents’ garden in the small mountain village of Vernet, in the south of France.
Hundreds of volunteers and emissaries from the Norwegian Armed Forces have scoured the small mountain village – but seven weeks later the police are still without a trace.
Now the parents are breaking their silence.
Various explanations have been given
Imagine the worst
It is in an interview with the magazine Christian family that the French couple Colomban and Marie speak out for the first time.
– We imagine the worst, says the father in the interview, which was published on Tuesday.
Given the little boy’s age and the number of days he has been missing, the chances of him being alive are low – especially if he has disappeared on his own. Still, the parents cling to hope.
– Sometimes we are overwhelmed by anxiety and grief. In one moment we despair, and in the next we have new hope, says the mother, adding that the family – who are very religious – are asking for a miracle.
Mayor François Balique has previously stated that the greatest probability of finding him alive is if he has been kidnapped.
– Our only hope now is that he was kidnapped and is alive. It’s the last thing we can hope for, and it’s absolutely terrible. It could be that someone who wanted to harm children passed by the area, saw the little boy and took him with them. What is absolutely certain is that he would not be able to survive alone in the wild, he added Le Figaro in mid-July.
Colomban and Marie thank everyone who has contributed to the search operation, and emphasize that they have full confidence in the police who are investigating the case.
Disappeared from the same area: Unexplained
– Nothing to hide
The police have stated that they are keeping all possibilities open, while at the same time they have not made any findings that indicate that anything criminal has happened to the two-year-old.
One of the police’s theories is that the disappearance may be due to a revenge riot with a political motive.
French media write that Colomban must have been a member of the far-right group Social Bastion when he studied. In 2021, both parents will have been on a political list linked to the right-wing populist Eric Zemmour, according to BFM.
In the interview, the parents use the opportunity to respond to the speculations.
– We have nothing to hide. We have not done anything objectionable, they say according to RTL and claim that information about their political views has been spread to blackmail them.
The police have previously confirmed that they are investigating an arson at the family home in 2019 – two years before Émile was born. The fire happened in Boullard, about ten kilometers from the place where Émile disappeared.
Investigating fraudsters
Various explanations
Sunday wrote the Dutch newspaper The Telegraph that witnesses have given different explanations about the last sightings of the boy.
One witness says that Émile walked down towards a laundromat in the center of Vernet, while another witness believes he saw the boy walking in the opposite direction – towards a cabin higher up in the terrain.
In connection with the search, dogs marked approximately 60 meters from the grandparents’ house, close to the laundry in question.
At the same time, the news website BFMTV writes that Émile must have been very interested in the cabin, which he had built together with several other children.
2023-08-30 07:41:55
#Breaking #silence #hide
