9-Year-Old Girl Missing From Wedding In French Alps Possibly Kidnapped

More than 100 people were deployed in a search for the 9-year-old who went missing from a wedding in the French Alps over the weekend. Police officially opened a kidnapping investigation after the disappearance of Maelys de Araujo, who was last seen Saturday evening in a room reserved for children inside the wedding venue at Pont-de-Beauvoisin in eastern France.

The area surrounding the venue consisted mostly of dense vegetation. More than 150 police officers and volunteers, in addition to divers, search dogs and helicopters took part in a search of the surrounding forests and streams.

“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,” local prosecutor Dietlind Baudoin said at a press conference, according to the Guardian.

Guests realized Maelys was missing from the wedding at 3 a.m. when the DJ made an announcement. More than an hour was spent searching for the little girl before authorities were called. When police arrived, they tracked her scent with dogs to the parking lot — prompting theories about what may have happened to her.

“One of the possible theories is that little Maeylys left in a car, one way or another,” said regional police chief Yves Marzin, according to the Guardian.

Guests recalled how the party suddenly came to an end after the DJ announced Maelys could not be located.

“The DJ for the evening announced on the microphone that a child had disappeared,” a guest named Gregoire told French news outlet Le Parisien, according to BBC News. “Suddenly, everyone started searching, in the main hall and outside. It was anguish. To see the disappearance of a 9-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.”

Investigators began questioning the 250 people present at the party or nearby that night — as of Wednesday, 140 people had been questioned. Homes near the venue were also searched and authorities took all photos and videos taken at the wedding to review for possible clues. While police had opened a kidnapping investigation, they cautioned against jumping to “hasty conclusions.”

“We are not losing hope to find some trace,” said police spokesman Jean Perue.

Posters of the little girl were tacked in the area and nearby towns as police continued their search.

“The unthinkable has happened,” Pont-de-Beauvoisin mayor Michel Serrano told AFP news Tuesday. “I’m devastated.”