a 3-year-old child, missing for several hours, found in the middle of the night in a forest in Haute-Savoie

The police, firefighters and volunteers involved can congratulate themselves on this happy outcome. A three-year-old child was found in the middle of the night, in the middle of the forest, after having escaped the supervision of his parents.

Coming from Portugal, his family was on vacation in a former colony center in the village of Saint-Cergues in Haute-Savoie, according to information from France Blue confirmed by Le Figaro. Around 7:30 pm this Friday, the little boy was playing on the slide when he decided to follow the owner’s dog without his parents noticing that he had left. In just a few minutes, the child disappeared.

At 7:57 p.m., after initially searching for their son without finding him, the parents decided to call for help and raise the alarm. Several dozen police officers were mobilized, accompanied by firefighters and volunteers.

“The force was increased until midnight, when nearly 50 police officers were on the ground.”explains to the Figaro Lieutenant-Colonel David Drouaud in charge of operations. Along with volunteers and firefighters, more than 80 people are participating in the search. A helicopter from the Chamonix High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon (PGHM) also arrived on site.

Little children’s marks

The area, which includes areas of steep and heavily wooded terrain, is searched, notably with thermal binoculars, and initially mainly downstream from the residence. “Around 11:30 p.m., the dog returned to the residence alone. He was soaked so that worried us. We reoriented our research around water points”explains David Drouaud.

Heat spots are identified and checked without the little boy being found. “We also immediately called investigators from the judicial police to carry out the first hearings of witnesses because we are considering several hypotheses: the child could have gotten lost, he could have had an accident or even had a bad encounter”also explains the policeman.

The officers search all night. And it was around 2 a.m. that the first decisive clue was found. A police officer spots small child footprints accompanied by dog ​​tracks. The rescuers then follow the trail, this time heading upstream of the residence.

“He was sitting, he was waiting”

A little before 5 a.m., in an area located 1,500 meters from where the family is staying, and 100 meters above, the gendarmes discovered the little boy, huddled in the middle of the forest. “He was not sleeping, he was sitting, waiting, conscious, looking haggard, surprised and at the same time reassured to see adults”confides the commander. The little boy is safe and sound: he is not injured and the night was not cold, despite the 900 meters of altitude of the area.

“The staff were very moved, and I can tell you that it created emotions on the ground…”, confides David Drouaud who specifies that the child did not speak French, making the exchanges more complicated. The little boy was quickly and directly brought back to his parents.

“A very long night of searching for a discovery at 4:45 a.m. of a very courageous young man, although frightened by this nightmarish night”Thonon mountain rescue wrote on social networks. “I would like to commend the inter-service aspect of the operation which took place under the coordination of the Haute-Savoie gendarmerie, with the town hall, the firefighters and the various units of the gendarmerie,” congratulates the gendarmerie commander.