By Bond Robertson 
– With the passage of time, it is normal for family members to come to light. It will happen with the police, but it will also happen with the people who follow the case and with the press, says crime writer and former police detective, Jorn Lehr Horst.
Despite the summer holidays, it follows two-year-old Emile’s disappearance in the small Alpine town of Vernet in southern France.
What began as a search operation after the boy disappeared from his grandparents’ garden on Saturday just over a week ago has subsequently developed into an intense police investigation. In the past week, the issue has been discussed all over the world.
– You probably didn’t disappear alone
– I won’t make it
Horst tells Dagbladet that he considers the chance of a two-year-old being alone for such a long time to be very small.
If the boy is found alive, he believes it depends on someone else being involved in the disappearance.
– Kidnapping is the only hope now. Either someone took him, or he’s being held in a basement and being taken care of. Horst says that such a young child would not be able to take care of himself for long in nature.
The theory that the boy did not disappear on his own has already been proven by the prosecutor of Digne-les-Bains, Remy Avon.
– Avon said last week that the likelihood of this happening is very small, according to Sky News.
“Malignant Tourism”: – Go away
Tourist ban
The mayor where the village of Vernet is located, François Ballec, chose this weekend to take action to give residents a little breathing space. So he imposed a ban on tourists from Friday to Monday evening.
The ban stated that travel to the city is prohibited, except for the residents themselves and those involved in the investigation into the disappearance.
Desperate search for Emile (2)
Teledata checks and abusers
Horst explains that the main challenge for the police, however, will be among the people who moved into the village before and around the time Emil disappeared.
– If there are a lot of travelers in the area at that time, it makes the investigation more difficult. Then it will be crucial with the cellphone tracks that have been left, says the crime writer.
Police have stated that they are already checking base stations around Vernet in full swing. La Dépêche wrote on Monday that work on revising lists of phone numbers is continuing.
– It is normal to check these numbers against the names of, for example, people who have previously been convicted of assault. In addition, it will look into whether there were attempted hijackings or observations of suspicious vehicles in the municipality or nearby before the disappearance, says Horst.