From early in the morning, Haut-Vernet in the Alps French is a village taken. Dozens of soldiers —specialized in difficult rescues— and gendarmes sweep house by house, meter by meter, as well as the mountains that surround it, carrying out andxselective excavations with helicopters, drones, firefighters, canine specialists,… tracking and guarding a closed area from this tuesday at outsiders. In total there are 800 troops deployed, which is six times the usual population (about 130 inhabitants).

Because the neighborhood and voluntary raids, which have been going on since Saturday, are no longer enough. The concern has given way to distress, recognize inhabitants and authorities. “It is that it is very small and it has been two days with heat, without eating, without water…”, a neighbor tells us in a small voice.

Émile—two and a half yearsdoes not reach a meter in height—had come to spend a few summer days with his grandparents in this picturesque and normally quiet town. They ran away from home. A neighbor saw him down the street. From there, he loses track of him, not a single clue for now. During these two days, the search has been limited to a perimeter of 5 kilometers around the village of Haut-Vernet.

“After 48 hours, the child should have appeared in this perimeter”, admit the authorities. And it is that Émile’s can be one of the hardest searchesthe experts explain: being so smallany nook can be a hiding place… or a trap, being a mountainous place. It’s hard to spot him. And furthermore, the spokeswoman for the gendarmerie explained to French television, “the such small minds work very differently to the adults”, since “instead of climbing to be seen, it will prefer to go downhill so as not to get tired; It will take shelter where there is shade instead of looking for open places, in the sun”.

More important than ever, they explain, scrutinize inch by inch the land. And they are in it, with all means. Looking for a happy ending for Émile. The regional prosecutor’s office insists that there is still nothing that points to a crime —a homicide or a kidnapping— but all hypotheses are contemplated. The investigation, open since Sunday, continues to “look for the causes of the worrisome disappearance”.