On Saturday last week, little Émile (2) disappeared from his grandparents’ home in the village of Vernet in the south of France.
Since then, hundreds of volunteers and emissaries from the Armed Forces have thoroughly combed the area, but without finding the two-year-old. On Thursday, Sky News announced that the search operation is ending.
– Probably didn’t disappear alone
Unsolved disappearance
The Vernet’s residents have been deeply affected by the disappearance. It is also not the first time that they have experienced something similar.
The Émile case has revived painful memories from a 34-year-old unsolved disappearance case, writes the local TV channel I say BFM.
On May 2, 1989, three-year-old Yannis Moré disappeared in Ganagobie, a village of about 90 inhabitants, while playing with his brothers near the family home. The village is around 60 kilometers south of Vernet, and is located in the same French region – Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
NOT FOUND: Two-year-old Émile disappeared from her grandparents’ home on Saturday last week. Photo: French police Show more
– Still talking about it
No suspect was ever found in the case, and according to Sylvie Belmonte, mayor of Ganagobie, the village has never quite managed to put it behind them.
– It was dramatic, and we still talk about it, she tells the TV channel.
“Explosive” revelation
At the time, she was town clerk in Ganagobie, and helped organize the reception they set up in connection with the disappearance.
– Thinking of the families
Yannis was never found, but the year after his disappearance, the clothes the three-year-old was wearing were found in a wooded area in the city.
The investigators were never able to give a formal answer as to whether Yannis had been killed.
The organization Assistance and Search for Missing Persons still have a missing persons report published online.
When the announcement of Émile’s disappearance came, Sylvie Belmonte was deeply moved, and sent a supportive email to her colleagues at Vernet.
– We think a lot about little Émile’s family, just as we think a lot about little Yannis’ mother, she says.
2023-07-14 05:17:28
#Disappeared #area #Unexplained
