A massive on-the-ground search for a toddler missing for five days in a village in the French Alps was discontinued last night, investigators said, with the focus now shifting to the evaluation of evidence already gathered.
Emile, 2, was staying with his grandparents when he went missing on Saturday.
He was last seen by two neighbours walking alone on a street of Haut-Vernet, a tiny village of 25 inhabitants at an altitude of around 1,200 metres.
Local prosecutor Remy Avon said in a statement that the massive search had not yielded any clues to solving the mystery of the boy's disappearance, and no more search parties would be sent out to find him.
However, he said: "The investigation into the causes of his disappearance will continue, notably through analysis of the considerable amount of information and elements gathered."
On Tuesday, the prosecutor had warned that "medically, beyond a period of 48 hours, given the child's young age ... and the current intense heat ... his life is very much at risk".
The terrain in the search zone is hilly and craggy with many streams, and the region has been hit by a heat wave, with temperatures of up to 35C in recent days.
Dozens of police and soldiers backed by dogs and a helicopter had searched 30 buildings, 12 vehicles and 12 hectares of terrain around Haut-Vernet, as well as interviewing 25 people.
The site has been off-limits to outsiders since early Tuesday.
Police, still hoping for a breakthrough thanks to witness statements, have circulated a picture of the blonde and hazel-eyed boy who was wearing a yellow top, white shorts and hiking shoes the day he disappeared.
Mr Avon had earlier said that as well as the physical search, investigators were also looking at details like local phone records to determine "what phone calls were made, by whom and to whom", around the time of the disappearance, as well as what mobile phones were connected to local towers.
"All possible explanations are on the table, we're not favouring any, and we're not ruling any out," Mr Avon said.
