LE FIGARO. - According to the public prosecutor of Aix-en-Provence,
the skull of little Émile would not have been buried
, putting the possibility of the accident back on the table. Could the body of the boy have stayed for more than eight months in the wilderness near Haut-Vernet without anyone discovering it before?
Stéphane CHEVRIER. -
This surprises me a lot. These are territories that hunters frequent regularly, just like gatherers. We are used to vegetation and we pay attention to the feet, that is to say the footprints and tracks of animals. We have a slightly more informed look at the environment than the average hiker! We deviate from the trails, we follow our dogs in the tracks, we cross the woods to reach posts, etc. Also, I remain surprised that no one came across the body or at least some traces during all these months, if it was indeed there. No doubt I will be even more so when we are told where precisely the remains were found.
Can you describe to us the area where the bones were unearthed last Saturday by a hiker?
I don't know exactly where this lies. We first mentioned Les Quatre Chemins, a relatively flat area, with meadows, where visibility is good. We then talked about the Auches valley on its upper part, in a steeper place with denser vegetation.
According to our information, it would be in this sector called "des Auches", near a torrent which bears the same name, not far from a forest path. The place would be located on the boundary between municipal and state property, 1.5 kilometers from Haut-Vernet...
At that time, it was an area with a lot of water. The slopes under the Ubac are significant, with a steep drop, and the water gullies to accumulate at the bottom and form these famous torrents. This place can also be described as steep and narrow. The fact remains that it is still supplied by a track where 4x4s circulate, then by a small path which allows you to reach Haut-Vernet. Off the path, the biotope is made up of moss, black marl thorns, brambles, bushes... It is, in certain places, very crowded with hollows four to five meters high.
Is it a popular place?
The path is frequented by walkers, yes. Then, whether it is the hunters or the mushroom pickers who both also roam the area, they do not stay on the path. Those who know their “corners” with morels in spring and chanterelles in autumn do not need paths. This one is able to go anywhere, even the most inaccessible and remote places.
We can imagine a fall in one of them, possibly fatal, and say that if the place was not searched, it could have sheltered the body before the waters moved it later
Stéphane Chevrier, president of the Vernet hunting company
Last summer, was this vegetation very different?
Last May and June, it had already rained a lot, so the water was there and so were the torrents. During the summer, the Auches valley was very humid with fairly tall vegetation which only settled down with the snow. And again, it snowed little!
High enough to hide the body of a two and a half year old child, for example?
As I told you, there are significant hollows in the upper part of the Vallon. We can imagine a fall in one of them, possibly fatal, and say that if the place was not searched, it could have sheltered the body before the waters later moved it.
As for local fauna, what species are found here?
All types of animals. From roe deer to red deer to chamois. Foxes, badgers and rodents... Wild boars of course, but also wolves. Our department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is one of those where the recorded population of wolves is the largest. I happened to see some. At the beginning of September again, the louveterie lieutenant took a few, following attacks on cows and sheep, near the Vernet mountain, a few kilometers away.
Do you believe a wolf capable of attacking little Émile, especially if he was alone and lost, in the middle of the night?
Attack, I don't think so. In any case, not to kill. I am not an expert in the field but this seems out of the question to me. On the other hand, it is possible for a wolf to feed on a corpse and move it. But just like other animals.
During his press conference Tuesday evening, the prosecutor explained that
the tracking dogs
used during the searches last July might have been disrupted by the high summer heat. What do you think ?
I'm not an expert to answer this question. But it is true that during the hunting season, when it is hot, the dogs have difficulty. We know that they will be less efficient in the quest for game. Moreover, in the commune of Haut-Vernet, we never start hunting before mid-September. We have never done any hunting before, except in cases of wild boar damage. And even at this time, we generally stop around 9:30 or 10 a.m. because of the temperatures.