The seek for a lacking two-year-old boy within the French Alps has been referred to as off, police have stated.

The boy, named solely as Emile, was last seen walking down the road close to his grandparents' home by two witnesses on Saturday afternoon, in line with authorities.

They stay in a distant mountain village with solely two dozen inhabitants simply exterior Le Vernet within the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence between Grenoble and Nice.

On Wednesday, police stated it was ending its bodily seek for the boy, and as an alternative transferring on to an exploration of the data they've collected thus far.

In a press release given to AFP news company, Remy Avon, the prosecutor of Digne-les-Bains, stated: "The judicial investigation into the causes of the disappearance will continue, in particular by analysing the considerable mass of information and elements collected over the past four days."

He additionally conceded there have been only a few clues concerning the toddler's disappearance, and added {that a} blood stain present in a automobile had been despatched for evaluation however was found to be from an animal.

Previously, police and gendarmes had entered each constructing within the small settlement the place Emile went lacking - and a few 500 volunteers helped with the search, trying within the forests and fields that encompass the village.

Mr Avon added that the likelihood Emile went lacking alone wouldn't be dominated out, "even if this probability is very small".

The native mayor, Francois Balique, earlier instructed French TV: "The household was on the brink of depart the home to go on an outing. He took benefit of this fleeting second to go away.

"His grandparents realised he was no longer there when they went to put him in the car."

BFM TV stated authorities have been utilizing a recorded voice message by Emile's mom, broadcast over loudspeakers from a helicopter, within the space of the search.