French village completely closed off for reconstruction of Emile’s (2) disappearance: will two witness statements help the case?

French authorities are organizing a reconstruction on Thursday of the disappearance of Emile, the 5-year-old boy who disappeared without a trace last summer in the village of Haut-Vernet, in southeastern France. In particular, the statements of two witnesses will be examined and compared.

Emile was spending the summer with his grandparents when he disappeared without a trace on July 8, 2023. The reconstruction should provide more clarity to the two investigating judges on the file about the circumstances of that disappearance.

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All parties involved will reenact the day in question from 9 a.m., the reconstruction should last all day. The hamlet has been completely cordoned off for the occasion. A municipal decision prohibits access to Haut-Vernet from Wednesday morning to Friday morning. In addition to the local gendarmerie, sixty soldiers were also called in to enforce the ban. The local prefecture also issued an overflight ban. “The intention is to ensure the peace of the residents and the smooth progress of the reconstruction,” says Mayor François Balique.

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Eight months after the boy’s disappearance, the court is still in the dark. The toddler was seen on the street near his grandparents’ house around 5:15 p.m. But whether it is an accident or a kidnapping, there is only uncertainty. There are no clues, no crime scene, and no suspects. That is why the large-scale reconstruction was chosen.

17 people were summoned to cooperate, including the boy’s family and two eyewitnesses. It concerns two neighbors who saw Emile on the street shortly before his disappearance. One allegedly saw the child walking down the street at 4:30 p.m. toward a laundrette, where a police sniffer dog later spotted the last trace of the boy. The other witness is said to have seen Emile walking towards his grandparents’ house again around 4:45 p.m. The reconstruction should make it possible to compare the two eyewitness statements and determine whether they are coherent and realistic.