Blood has been found on the front of a car in the Alpine settlement where a two-year-old boy disappeared four days ago, detectives said today.

“It could also be a very old trace, so everyone is very cautious about the find.” Investigators also confirmed that Emile’s parents’ home in the southern town of La Bouilladisse, near Marseille, was searched by police on Monday.

The gendarmes were looking into the family’s background,” said a judicial source involved in the case. He said the parents had been staying at home for a year, along with Emil and his sister, who was born earlier this year.

The investigation came as police revealed there were at least ten other family members staying at the Vernet home at the time of Emile’s disappearance after he said: “There was a family reunion taking place, with several uncles and aunts of the child, of all ages, including some minors. Emil was seen on Saturday morning, along with other children.”

Emile, who usually lives with his parents near Marseille, was last seen by two people as he left his grandparents’ house. He vacationed with the elderly couple. Speaking at a press conference late yesterday, public prosecutor Rémy Avon told reporters: “At the moment we have no idea, no information, no evidence that can help us understand this disappearance.”

He assured the press that “the investigation is ongoing,” but stressed that no progress had been made since Sunday. “We are at the same point as yesterday after receiving the two testimonies,” Avon said. “We’re really pushing investigations into the ground as much as we can.”

One possibility police are considering is that the toddler is dead and his killer may have taken the body after accidentally hitting him “with a car or tractor,” BBC’s The Missing reported.

The search continued today with a helicopter flying, from which the voice of Emil’s mother could be heard across the area in an attempt to find her missing son.