Belgian drivers urged to look out for car carrying missing French baby
A Child Alert was put out on Belgian motorways on Wednesday morning in relation to the disappearance of premature baby Santiago. The 17-day-old boy, who requires constant medical care, was abducted from hospital by his parents in France and they may have fled to Belgium.
Messages are being displayed on motorway signs asking drivers to look out for the suspects’ vehicle, a dark blue Audi A4 with the French number plate GR 956 ZV.
According to the Missing Persons Unit of the federal judicial police, it is exceptional for a Child Alert to be deployed. “That only happens if the child is in immediate danger of death,” Alain Remue, the head of the Missing Persons Unit, told Radio 1.
The alert was sent out by Child Focus and the Missing Persons Unit at the request of the French authorities. Developed by Child Focus in 2011, it is a tool used to reach the public when a child’s life is thought to be in immediate danger.
This is only the third time the alert has been deployed in Belgium, Remue said. “It’s a system we want to use as little as possible, because it has to attract full attention. The idea is to notify as many people as possible and mobilise them to look around and gather information to try to direct the search operation.”
The baby has blonde hair and was wearing a brown T-shirt and white pyjamas at the time of his disappearance. The mother, 25, was wearing a white jumper, a green skirt and a light blue sleeveless jacket. The father, aged 23, was wearing dark jeans, a white T-shirt, a light blue denim jacket and a black coat.
The investigation in Belgium is being run by the Mons public prosecutor’s office, following a request from the French Justice ministry. Anyone with information should call 0800 30 300.
© PHOTO BELGA MEDIA SUPPORT PHOTO
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