Overview
- Three bicycles were seized on December 16 from the maternal grandparents’ secondary home in Haut-Vernet and are being examined at a private hematology and genetics laboratory in Bordeaux.
- The laboratory work is focused on detecting possible DNA traces such as blood, fingerprints, or other biological residues, and authorities have not communicated any results to date.
- Earlier coverage spoke of two bicycles, but multiple outlets now report that three are under analysis, and other seized objects from the December operation are also being scrutinized.
- Investigators continue to explore an interfamilial line of inquiry, with Sud Ouest reporting that the bicycles were used by an uncle who was present the day the child disappeared.
- Procedurally, the grandparents were heard again as civil parties in December, and their lawyers filed about 20 new requests in late January, including broader DNA collection from people present in the hamlet in July 2023.