A frantic search is still underway for missing 9-year-old French girl, Maelys de Araujo, who disappeared during a family wedding on Sunday.
As The Telegraph reports, Maelys was attending a wedding with her parents and family in Pont-de-Beauvoisin in the French Alps. She was last seen at around 3am in a children’s room.
Helicopters, police dogs and divers are scouring the surrounding areas for any sign of Maelys, who has been missing for more than 48 hours.
Local prosecutor Dietlind Baudoin told reporters: “Obviously, we are exploring all leads.”
“Given the time that has elapsed since the disappearance of the young Maelys and given the resources that have been sadly deployed in vain to find her, the criminal possibility can no longer be ruled out,” he added.
According to the BBC, police have interviewed almost all of the 180 guests at the wedding.
A wedding guest recounted the tragic announcement on Sunday that Maelys was missing.
“The DJ for the evening announced on the microphone that a child had disappeared. Suddenly, everyone started searching, in the main hall and outside,” she said.
“It was anguish. To see the disappearance of a nine-year-old, that’s not nothing. We initially thought she must be asleep in a corner after a game of hide-and-seek. After an hour, as we’d found nothing, the police were alerted.”
Police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.