France ÉMILE: Missing from Le Vernet, France - 8 July 2023 - Age 2 *Found Deceased*

Desperate hunt for French boy after he vanished while on holiday

Émile was playing in the garden of his grandparents home in the hamlet of Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday afternoon when he vanished.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Race against time to find missing Emile: Desperate hunt for two-year-old French boy two days after he vanished while on holiday with his grandparents in Alpine village​

French police have undertaken an extensive hunt for a two-year-old boy who went missing over the weekend while on holiday with his grandparents.

Émile was playing in the garden of his grandparents' home in the hamlet of Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence on Saturday afternoon when he vanished.

The family was getting ready to leave the house they were staying in when Émile took advantage of the inattention, officials said. His grandparents came to put him in the car and found that he had gone.

The grandparents then alerted the authorities of Émile's disappearance at around 5.15pm [4.15pm BST], at which point family members, police, emergency service workers, and local villagers started the search for the boy.

Still unable to find him, the initial 5km search area for the Émile has today been extended with a helicopter, thermic camera drones, and sniffer dogs all brought in to help.

François Balique, the mayor of Le Vernet, told French television that the boy was a good walker for his age.

'It’s a small village with 20 or so houses … we see everything. He could have gone some distance and perhaps got lost or was hiding,' he said

The area around Le Vernet is surrounded by forest is popular with hikers.

Émile, who is originally from Bouches-du-Rhône near Marseille, was spotted by two people as he left his grandparents' home. However, they then said they 'lost sight of him'.

Police have so far carried out a search of all houses in the village, and have called upon anyone with any information to come forward.

Releasing a photo and description of a child to social media and broadcasters, officials said he had brown eyes, blond hair, and is 90cm (almost 3ft) tall.

They said he was wearing a yellow top, white shorts with a green pattern, and hiking shoes at the time of his disappearance.

Police have so far ruled out any suggestion that he was abducted.

'The grid is quite small given the motor skills of this young boy and the topography', David Corona, a negotiator and profiler, and former Gendarmerie told BFMTV.

Mr Corona said the child's age was 'both an advantage and a disadvantage'.

'He is two and a half years old so he won't be able to go very far on his own. The problem is that he has poor motor skills so if he falls in a place where he has trouble getting out, he is going to have trouble finding his way back.'

Laure Westphal, a psychologist and associate researcher at the Sciences Po university also told BFMTV that it was likely that Émile could have ventured further than initially expected.

'A child of this age is in search of autonomy even if he knows he is dependent on the adult. This is the age when he begins to say no', Ms Westphal said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Hunt for missing boy, 2, from French hamlet focuses on motorway toll

Investigators are cross-referencing 50,000 CCTV images with phone records in the latest on the case

www.connexionfrance.com

Hunt for missing boy, 2, from French hamlet focuses on motorway toll​

Investigations into the disappearance of Emile, 2, from a mountain village in south-east France in July 2023 are now focusing on CCTV footage from a péage toll booth on the A51 motorway.

The prosecutor in Aix-en-Provence is analysing around 50,000 surveillance images from the scene, six months after the child’s disappearance from the hamlet of Le Haut-Vernet in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, on July 8.

#Prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon told BFMTV: “The case is still very much under investigation. We are using long-term analysis techniques.”

He said that the investigation was “not petering out” and that some of the new information coming to light is quite precise. This includes further investigation into the A51 toll.

The A51 is a motorway in southeast France that connects Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, with 128 km of toll road between Aix-en-Provence, and Saulce. The péage booth in question is around 50 km from Le Vernet.

The aim is to cross-reference images from vehicles passing through the péage with any profiles of interest in the investigation, including by using records of the 1,600 phones identified as being in a 50km radius of the hamlet on the day that Émile disappeared.

Not all police are convinced that studying the péage records will be useful, however. One anonymous police source told Le Figaro: “The péage is over 50 kilometres away...We have to be serious. How do you expect us to discover anything with that?”

But General François Daoust, former Director of the Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale (IRCGN), explained: “If we have a pertinent boundary marker at Le Vernet, and a vehicle ends up 50 kilometres down the road, at the toll booth, it would be worth looking at the driver and asking them what they were doing at the time.”

Other investigations are also ongoing, including analysis on 300 forensic traces collected in the area. The data collected will also be entered into a piece of software called Anacrim, which aims to cross-reference details to help investigators pick up on any potential new leads.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Hunt for missing boy, 2, from French hamlet focuses on motorway toll

Investigators are cross-referencing 50,000 CCTV images with phone records in the latest on the case

www.connexionfrance.com

Hunt for missing boy, 2, from French hamlet focuses on motorway toll​

Investigations into the disappearance of Emile, 2, from a mountain village in south-east France in July 2023 are now focusing on CCTV footage from a péage toll booth on the A51 motorway.

The prosecutor in Aix-en-Provence is analysing around 50,000 surveillance images from the scene, six months after the child’s disappearance from the hamlet of Le Haut-Vernet in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, on July 8.

#Prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon told BFMTV: “The case is still very much under investigation. We are using long-term analysis techniques.”

He said that the investigation was “not petering out” and that some of the new information coming to light is quite precise. This includes further investigation into the A51 toll.

The A51 is a motorway in southeast France that connects Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, with 128 km of toll road between Aix-en-Provence, and Saulce. The péage booth in question is around 50 km from Le Vernet.

The aim is to cross-reference images from vehicles passing through the péage with any profiles of interest in the investigation, including by using records of the 1,600 phones identified as being in a 50km radius of the hamlet on the day that Émile disappeared.

Not all police are convinced that studying the péage records will be useful, however. One anonymous police source told Le Figaro: “The péage is over 50 kilometres away...We have to be serious. How do you expect us to discover anything with that?”

But General François Daoust, former Director of the Institut de Recherche Criminelle de la Gendarmerie Nationale (IRCGN), explained: “If we have a pertinent boundary marker at Le Vernet, and a vehicle ends up 50 kilometres down the road, at the toll booth, it would be worth looking at the driver and asking them what they were doing at the time.”

Other investigations are also ongoing, including analysis on 300 forensic traces collected in the area. The data collected will also be entered into a piece of software called Anacrim, which aims to cross-reference details to help investigators pick up on any potential new leads.

Well good luck with that and maybe who knows something will result but to me it sounds like they have zilch and are talking software and extensive research and then a big program called Anacrim that will cross reference and find things they can't and produce new leaks. In other words, it sounds like big talk t make it seem as if this is still hot and going somewhere when I doubt in reality they have anything or anywhere to turn.

I't stick close to the home front imo. I haven't seen enough that they can leave the home, the scene imo. As homicide investigators say we can't leave the house yet meaning in working ones way from the inner circle and site outwards. Doesn't mean they can't investigate all possibilities just that they are unable so far to rule out that whatever happened happened right there or at the hands of someone right there. Etc.

Of course it's France so we don't get near the info nor is news digging into people there, etc. at least with anything we've heard, or criminal histories, activities, family relationships, etc., etc.

I don't know of course but something is wrong with it all. The first flush of news one would think this was two grandparents on a holiday with their grandson and it wasn't anything even close to that as it turned out. The parents well that's another thing. I can't recall was it the two bio parents or mom with a bf? I believe the latter.

Anyhow, I don't think what they are focusing on is likely to result in anything much. I don't think this child that day was taken 50 miles away through some toll booth. But then who knows... I sure don't. I'd hope they are hard at work on other things just as or more likely though.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

MSN

Bones found of missing two-year-old French boy​

Our Foreign Staff
31 March 2024 • 3:54pm

French investigators have found the “bones” of a toddler who went missing last summer in a tiny Alpine village and are working to determine how he died, a prosecutor said on Sunday.

The discovery is the first breakthrough in the case of two-and-a-half-year-old Emile, who vanished on July 8 last year while staying with his grandparents.

Two neighbours last saw him in the late afternoon walking alone on a street in Le Haut Vernet, at an altitude of 1,200 metres (4,000ft) in the French Alps.

“On Saturday, the police were informed of the discovery of bones near the hamlet of Le Vernet,” prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon said.

Genetic testing allowed them “to conclude on Sunday that they were the bones of the child Emile”, he added.

The prosecutor did not give a cause of death, but said that forensic investigators were continuing to analyse the bones. Police were carrying out additional searches in the area where the bones were found.

A source close to the case said a walker had spotted the remains.

Emile disappeared a day after he had arrived to stay with his maternal grandparents in their secondary home for the holidays.

The little boy, barely 35in tall, was wearing a yellow T-shirt, white shorts and hiking shoes when he went missing.

A massive search involving dozens of police officers and soldiers, sniffer dogs, a helicopter and drones failed to find him.

A prosecutor said after several days that it was unlikely such a young child would have survived in the summer heat.

After the initial search, a criminal investigation into a possible abduction was launched, although the possibilities of an accident or a fall have also remained open.

Police on Thursday returned to the village, cordoning off the area and summoning 17 people including family members, neighbours and witnesses to re-enact the last moments before he went missing to try to solve the mystery.

Drones flew overhead in the drizzle to capture footage of the re-enactment, but there was no news of any discovery after the exercise.

Emile’s mother and father, devout Catholics, were absent on the day of his disappearance. The boy was officially in the care of his grandfather, Philippe Vedovini. Mr Vedovini was questioned in a 1990s case into alleged violence and sexual aggression at a private Catholic school.

In late November, a day before Emile would have turned three, his parents published a call for answers in a Christian weekly. “Tell us where he is,” they wrote.

 

[GrandmaBear]

MSN

Bones found of missing two-year-old French boy​

Our Foreign Staff
31 March 2024 • 3:54pm

French investigators have found the “bones” of a toddler who went missing last summer in a tiny Alpine village and are working to determine how he died, a prosecutor said on Sunday.

The discovery is the first breakthrough in the case of two-and-a-half-year-old Emile, who vanished on July 8 last year while staying with his grandparents.

Two neighbours last saw him in the late afternoon walking alone on a street in Le Haut Vernet, at an altitude of 1,200 metres (4,000ft) in the French Alps.

“On Saturday, the police were informed of the discovery of bones near the hamlet of Le Vernet,” prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon said.

Genetic testing allowed them “to conclude on Sunday that they were the bones of the child Emile”, he added.

The prosecutor did not give a cause of death, but said that forensic investigators were continuing to analyse the bones. Police were carrying out additional searches in the area where the bones were found.

A source close to the case said a walker had spotted the remains.

Emile disappeared a day after he had arrived to stay with his maternal grandparents in their secondary home for the holidays.

The little boy, barely 35in tall, was wearing a yellow T-shirt, white shorts and hiking shoes when he went missing.

A massive search involving dozens of police officers and soldiers, sniffer dogs, a helicopter and drones failed to find him.

A prosecutor said after several days that it was unlikely such a young child would have survived in the summer heat.

After the initial search, a criminal investigation into a possible abduction was launched, although the possibilities of an accident or a fall have also remained open.

Police on Thursday returned to the village, cordoning off the area and summoning 17 people including family members, neighbours and witnesses to re-enact the last moments before he went missing to try to solve the mystery.

Drones flew overhead in the drizzle to capture footage of the re-enactment, but there was no news of any discovery after the exercise.

Emile’s mother and father, devout Catholics, were absent on the day of his disappearance. The boy was officially in the care of his grandfather, Philippe Vedovini. Mr Vedovini was questioned in a 1990s case into alleged violence and sexual aggression at a private Catholic school.

In late November, a day before Emile would have turned three, his parents published a call for answers in a Christian weekly. “Tell us where he is,” they wrote.

Boy are there some tidbits in this I don't recall ever hearing or knowing.

First thing of import is he was found somewhere in this very small village and was never taken away or through some toll booth, etc. which was looked at, etc. Not surprised myself.

Now we hear parents were devout Catholics and not present. I swear at first we thought they weren't but later came to find out I thought it was mom and a bf were there. Not going to read back but that's what I recall.

So now it is a secondary home where It thought it was like rented first for the grandparents with grandson then later it came for a family event/reunion of sorts.

A re-enactment by 17 people, that's different and a bit interesting.

Finally he was in the "official" care of his grandfather who was questioned in the 90s about violence and sexual aggression at a private Catholic school. Say WHAT?

And what is "official" care? Does that mean parents put grandpa in charge and he was allowed to take him/have him and was the one supposed to be watching him? Or DOES it mean he was in grandpa's care and taken from parent's care by an official court or some such?

There are some differences here in the little news from another country we'd heard previously. As I recall.

I didn't think it happened far or he was taken, I recall that. I thought talk of that and toll booth was unlikely and it happened close to home or at home by someone there. Still do. I think foul play more than likely and always have. Could be wrong.

To be fair re grandpa, his sexual aggression and violence could have been when he was a teen or young. Emile was two. Grandpa could easily be only 40w or 50s and the 90s were 30 years ago. So while it sound sensational he could have been a teen, etc. Not that that doesn't show something because it shows a sexual and serious thing in a strict probably Catholic private school making one wonder the reason and history here. Who can help but think of the priest scandal that never reached the heights imo it should have. Was grandpa a victim and was grandpa a later perpetrator? Sorry but surely that crosses everyone's mind when reading this.

Again maybe way off base but there's two reasons children end up dead if foul play. One is a parent or bf of parent etc. losing it and battering the poor child to death, the other is due to a sexual predator and molestor.

Maybe it will come it is an accident but if it does, I likely won't buy it. Or undetermined. Soo many people were allegedly there and NO ONE watches someone so wee as a TWO YEAR old? I do that in the public realm without knowing the people. I see at work on occasion a child alone and can't see a parent nearby and while I am working and needing to multitask my eye is partly on that child until I see a parent with them. A few years ago my mom came for a visit and I and daughter and my mom were out shopping and I think FOUR times in that day I ended up watching out for someone else's child. I could tell the story but it would be long. My point IS even at a family gathering or at anything, it sure isn't our job but if someone else isn't watching or known not to watch, some family member is or is concerned--he was TWO. TWO YEARS old. That's an age that should NEVER be unsupervised. That alone leads me to foul play and adding in some other things, even more so.

However, to be fair, he was seen that day wasn't he as I seem to recall...?

This article while not being sensationalistic in the way some rags can get, has a couple of things that hint at things. Whether they relate or not who knows but grandpa's sexual aggression and violence and not only are the parents Catholic, the article makes a point of saying "devout" Catholics. So what are they getting at along with grandpa's issue being at a private Catholic school?

It could be intended and has no relevance or it could hint at something. It may be the news way of not being over the top with any major sensationalism but to get interest. Hard to say. It's France, not here.

What a sad outcome but I never thought him alive. What's the likelihood a TWO year old would be after going missing for more than a day or so? RIP Emile.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

French authorities give heartbreaking update on boy, two, who went missing

Émile Soleil's remains and clothes were discovered nearby where he went missing

www.tyla.com

Rhianna Benson
Published 16:42, 09 April 2024 BST
| Last updated 16:42, 09 April 2024 BST

French police have today given a heartbreaking update on the tragic death of French two-year-old Émile Soleil - who went missing last summer - after his clothes and bones were discovered half a mile from the toddler's family home.

While staying with his grandparents in an Alpine village, Émile was last seen by two neighbours on 8 July 2023, walking alone on a street in Le Vernet - about 1,200 metres up in the French Alps.

Following an large-scale search for the tot - which involved police, soldiers and volunteers scouring 1,200 acres using drones and helicopters while playing his mother’s voice from speakers - human remains were tragically found last month.

The bones - which are understood to include a skull and some teeth - were found by a hiker, who handed them in to the police, where genetic testing subsequently showed they belonged to the tot.

In the days that followed their initial discovery, a collection of clothes were also discovered 'almost 500ft' from where the toddler’s remains were found.

According to the lead prosecutor, wild animals may have been responsible for dispersing the toddler's remains, as well as the 'small fractures' and 'bite marks' found on his skull.

At this point, authorities are unable to determine whether the toddler's death was an accident or murder.

Prosecutor Jean-Luc Blanchon previously told press that 'murder or manslaughter' was not to be ruled out, despite a fall potentially having damaged Émile's skull in this way.

And this week, there was another twist to the mystery of his heartbreaking death

Another of Émile's bones has been found in another location, a close distance to where the majority of his remains and clothes were discovered.

Haut-Vernet's mayor told Le Figaro after hikers initially discovered the toddler's skull that authorities would be scouring the site with a 'toothcomb'.

And now, according to La Parisien, investigators have stumbled across another bone fragment during their final excavation, which could potentially determine the toddler's cause of death.

Speaking following the stomach-churning discovery, however, Mayor François Balique confessed he couldn't understand why the remains hadn't been found sooner.

"There are people who regularly use the path nearby," he told press. "I used it last week. The volunteer searchers have been there, I'm sure.

"I was there during the beatings [on the ground by those searching for Émile] and the gendarmes couldn't have missed him with the dogs. There was even a logging there in the Autumn. The wood cutters didn't see anything either. It's incomprehensible."

Mayor Balique even went on to state his innate belief that the child was murdered.

"I can't help but believe that an adult is involved in this matter. Émile would never have gone alone to where he was found," he added.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Well, there we sadly go. I agree with the ending remarks and I think this was foul play or disposal. I don't know about the ones who "saw him" on his own either and whether I buty that or who they were.

NO NORMAL PERSON sees a two year old walking alone away from any adult and does nothing. Not someone NORMAL. He was TWO. They COMBED these areas.

Sounds like a skull or head fracture or some such. I need to stay off that topic but that alone says a lot to me. That's no fall.

Also sounds as if his clothes and his body were separated and parts were found after already looking for all and so on. Don't need to go on about the details or think about them.

I think someone needed this to end and had to put him where it would fit him wandering off. I'm not sure I even believe he was alive the day they said he went missing. This one has been very off to me from the start. Of course it is France and we have no accounts from people talking whether people at the home and "party" or "reunion" or whatever the heck it was not from neighbors, or anyone.

What would YOU DO if you saw a TODDLER off somewhere on his OWN? I'd not leave the child until I saw someone else at minimum and then ask them to call for help if I had no way to. I woudln't necessarily take him home or anywhere as I don't want to be accused of kidnapping but I'd stay with him and alert someone or get him to turn back with me. Most of us ALL have phones now, I'd call 911 immediately.

Yet someone saw this boiy apparently and did nothing. Again, not sure I buy it. They could be the perps or family that is lying or who knows. Or it's false and they wanted to insert selves stupidly.

So he was actually found awhile back...

 

[Guess Who]

French authorities give heartbreaking update on boy, two, who went missing

Émile Soleil's remains and clothes were discovered nearby where he went missing

www.tyla.com

Rhianna Benson
Published 16:42, 09 April 2024 BST
| Last updated 16:42, 09 April 2024 BST

French police have today given a heartbreaking update on the tragic death of French two-year-old Émile Soleil - who went missing last summer - after his clothes and bones were discovered half a mile from the toddler's family home.

While staying with his grandparents in an Alpine village, Émile was last seen by two neighbours on 8 July 2023, walking alone on a street in Le Vernet - about 1,200 metres up in the French Alps.

Following an large-scale search for the tot - which involved police, soldiers and volunteers scouring 1,200 acres using drones and helicopters while playing his mother’s voice from speakers - human remains were tragically found last month.

The bones - which are understood to include a skull and some teeth - were found by a hiker, who handed them in to the police, where genetic testing subsequently showed they belonged to the tot.

In the days that followed their initial discovery, a collection of clothes were also discovered 'almost 500ft' from where the toddler’s remains were found.

According to the lead prosecutor, wild animals may have been responsible for dispersing the toddler's remains, as well as the 'small fractures' and 'bite marks' found on his skull.

At this point, authorities are unable to determine whether the toddler's death was an accident or murder.

Prosecutor Jean-Luc Blanchon previously told press that 'murder or manslaughter' was not to be ruled out, despite a fall potentially having damaged Émile's skull in this way.

And this week, there was another twist to the mystery of his heartbreaking death

Another of Émile's bones has been found in another location, a close distance to where the majority of his remains and clothes were discovered.

Haut-Vernet's mayor told Le Figaro after hikers initially discovered the toddler's skull that authorities would be scouring the site with a 'toothcomb'.

And now, according to La Parisien, investigators have stumbled across another bone fragment during their final excavation, which could potentially determine the toddler's cause of death.

Speaking following the stomach-churning discovery, however, Mayor François Balique confessed he couldn't understand why the remains hadn't been found sooner.

"There are people who regularly use the path nearby," he told press. "I used it last week. The volunteer searchers have been there, I'm sure.

"I was there during the beatings [on the ground by those searching for Émile] and the gendarmes couldn't have missed him with the dogs. There was even a logging there in the Autumn. The wood cutters didn't see anything either. It's incomprehensible."

Mayor Balique even went on to state his innate belief that the child was murdered.

"I can't help but believe that an adult is involved in this matter. Émile would never have gone alone to where he was found," he added.

The difference in vegetation density between July and now could very easily made the difference of him being spotted at the time and/or animal activity bringing the remains out in site.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Emile Soleil: Grandparents arrested on suspicion of toddler's murder in French Alps

Emile Soleil mysteriously vanished in 2023, in a case that made headlines across France.

www.bbc.com

Grandparents arrested on suspicion of toddler's murder in French Alps​

Four people, including the grandparents of Emile Soleil, have been arrested over the two-year-old's disappearance and death in the French Alps in July 2023.

The two other people arrested on suspicion of voluntary homicide and concealment of a corpse are adult children of Emile's grandparents, prosecutors said in a statement.

The grandparents' lawyer, Isabelle Colombani, told AFP on Tuesday morning that she had no comment, having "only just heard" about the development.


Tuesday's sudden twist, in a case that seemed to have gone cold, made headlines in France, where the search for Emile has been extensively covered by the media. When the toddler disappeared, dozens of journalists flocked to Haut-Vernet, often outnumbering the 25 residents of the tiny Alpine hamlet.

In a statement, Aix-en-Provence chief prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon said that Tuesday's arrests were the result of investigations carried out over recent months, and that police were examining "several spots in the area".

French media reported on Tuesday that the grandparents' home in the Provence region was being searched and that police had seized one of their vehicles.

In France, people can be placed under arrest for questioning while police investigate whether they may have been involved in a crime. It does not mean legal proceedings will necessarily be started against them.

 

[Guess Who]

Emile Soleil: Grandparents arrested on suspicion of toddler's murder in French Alps

Emile Soleil mysteriously vanished in 2023, in a case that made headlines across France.

www.bbc.com

Grandparents arrested on suspicion of toddler's murder in French Alps​

Four people, including the grandparents of Emile Soleil, have been arrested over the two-year-old's disappearance and death in the French Alps in July 2023.

The two other people arrested on suspicion of voluntary homicide and concealment of a corpse are adult children of Emile's grandparents, prosecutors said in a statement.

The grandparents' lawyer, Isabelle Colombani, told AFP on Tuesday morning that she had no comment, having "only just heard" about the development.


Tuesday's sudden twist, in a case that seemed to have gone cold, made headlines in France, where the search for Emile has been extensively covered by the media. When the toddler disappeared, dozens of journalists flocked to Haut-Vernet, often outnumbering the 25 residents of the tiny Alpine hamlet.

In a statement, Aix-en-Provence chief prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon said that Tuesday's arrests were the result of investigations carried out over recent months, and that police were examining "several spots in the area".

French media reported on Tuesday that the grandparents' home in the Provence region was being searched and that police had seized one of their vehicles.

In France, people can be placed under arrest for questioning while police investigate whether they may have been involved in a crime. It does not mean legal proceedings will necessarily be started against them.

So here they would be called "detained" for further investigation.

 

[GrandmaBear]

While more needs to come, this is two years after the fact they "arrested them" or almost, and two adult children as well of theirs meaning the childs aunts/uncle or parents.

I'm very sadly not surprised. I wish I was. It smelled from the beginning, I tried to put some of it down to confusion on details or differences in reporting but it just kept smelling for lack of a better word.

They know enough I'd say to have four in their sights. I suspect they know a lot more than we are going to hear for the moment.

Man it's hard enough to understand parents but the grandparents, that just gets me every time. I don't think I even have to put it into words for every grandparent here.

Poor child. Yet another hurt by loved ones. Allegedly of course. I'm not having a problem with my needle going even higher towards the 100 percent mark. I was already well the zero mark.

RIP Emile. Maybe ours will greet you and you both can have the better times this earth did not provide you.

Even though not surprised, so flipping SAD. I'd always rather it NOT be the case. Not that I want any to be abducted instead or wander off, but to know they weren't even safe with those who SHOULD be protecting them. And grandparents should be more mature, have more time generally, patience, and MOST have such a love for their grandchildren. Now I'm getting mad, so going to try to catch up elsewhere before it goes further.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Death of Emile, 2: French prosecutor gives more details after grandparents released

There are several reasons that a third party is suspected of involvement in Emile’s death

www.connexionfrance.com

Death of Emile, 2: French prosecutor gives more details after grandparents released​

The prosecutor has released more details on the ‘family’ line of inquiry into the death of Emile, 2, after the boy’s grandparents and one aunt and uncle were released after 48 hours of questioning.

The maternal grandparents of the boy were taken into police custody along with the boy's aunt and uncle, on suspicion of “voluntary homicide”, on March 25.

They were also questioned in connection with the allegation of “concealing a corpse (recel de cadavre)”, announced the chief public prosecutor of Aix-en-Provence, Jean-Luc Blachon, in a press release seen by the Agence France-Presse on Tuesday, March 25.

The aunt and uncle are “two of the grandparents’ adult children”, Mr Blachon added, saying that the investigations being carried out were “criminal operations”, he said.

Mr Blachon held a press conference on March 27 after the four were released. He stated: “Expert investigations are suggesting the probability of the involvement of a third party in the disappearance and death of Emile Soleil.”

At the press conference, Mr Blachon shared several reasons that this possibility is being seriously considered.

The prosecutor said that recent analyses show that the “clothes and bones” discovered a year ago by a hiker “were transported and placed there shortly before their discovery”.

They had not been there since the boy’s initial disappearance, he said.

“The child's body did not decompose in the clothes found in the forest,” he said. Investigations “allow us to consider the hypothesis that the body did not remain in the same place…during the decomposition process and that it was not buried”.

The boy’s bones showed signs of “violent facial trauma”, the prosecutor said.

Analyses “allowed us to characterise the presence on the discovered skull of anatomical signs suggestive of violent facial trauma”, he said.

“The expert reports introduce the probability of the intervention of a third party in the disappearance and death of Emile Soleil” as a result.

The ‘family line of investigation’ has not ended, said Mr Blachon.

However, he said that “the custody of [the four family members] is part of an investigation phase in which it became necessary to confront, enlighten and submit the people most affected by Emile's disappearance to the results of all the investigations”.

He said that the four had been released because “at the end of their custody, and in light of all the evidence gathered, there was insufficient evidence to bring any charges in this case”.

“That does not mean that it is definitively over,” he added. “New additional elements may arise during future investigations that are likely to extend it.”

Mr Blachon also gave an update on a large planter that was seized by investigators on March 13 from outside the chapel of Haut-Vernet, the hamlet where Emile disappeared.

In the end, this did not “contain any evidence likely to advance the investigation”, the prosecutor said.

However, Colonel Christophe Berthelin, of the Marseille gendarmerie, which is investigating the case, said: “Every clue, every physical trace, every digital trace, every description, every piece of testimony is being investigated.

“Depending on the result obtained, of course, we either look into it further or we rule it out.”

The investigation is continuing. There is a “national investigation unit” of around 15 people working on the case, said Colonel Berthelin. “We are currently processing 55 million pieces of communication data [and] have 20 terabytes that are still being analysed.”

“The investigating judges remain determined to shed light on the circumstances of the disappearance and death of Emile Soleil,” said Mr Blachon.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Uh huh. Tried to figure out the French way of doing things. Many follow our cases as more is released or at least it used to be the case.
in the U.S. and people should fight to maintain that,

I can name a few I follow that follow our cases for that reason.

So watching the French way with this is different... All countries being different... And laws...

It's pretty clear imo this boy did not just wander off but met with foul play. Which is sick and disgusting. And it got covered up by more than one and was in the family. Imo.

I seem to recall with the erratic reporting his mom was with a bf. And some other things re gma and gpa and more. Biological on the one, not sure on the other... if I recall.

i know this, never thought for a moment this was some total stranger abduction. Jmo.

 

[Tresir]

Émile Soleil -soleil means sun so a little ray of sunshine. How sad.

I just came across this article and so searched to see if there was a thread.

So his remains were found a year ago. Wondering now who the witness supposedly was who saw him walking. And where his remains were when the searches took place.

Link to follow unless it has been posted before.

Grandparents arrested for murder of French toddler who disappeared from their garden

The grandparents of a French toddler who went missing nearly two years ago have been arrested on suspicion of his murder, prosecutors said.

abc7chicago.com

The grandparents of a French toddler who went missing nearly two years ago have been arrested on suspicion of his murder, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Two-year-old Émile Soleil disappeared from his grandparents' garden in Le Haut-Vernet, a hamlet in the French Alps, in July 2023. Nine months after his disappearance, his remains were discovered by a hiker near the village.
Now the long investigation into the toddler's death has taken a shocking turn with four individuals - including Émile's grandparents and two of their adult children - being taken into police custody.
Emile's grandfather Philippe Vedovini and his wife, who was not named by the prosecutor, were arrested in the commune of La Bouilladisse on suspicion of "voluntary homicide" and "concealing a corpse," according to a statement by the Aix-en-Provence public prosecutor.

Clement Mahoudeau/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource
Emile's disappearance gripped the nation as long and widespread searches yielded nothing. His parents were absent on the day he vanished. At the time they told a Christian website they still hoped for a miracle.
The case also sparked media attention, particularly surrounding Émile's grandfather, who, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV, was questioned by police in the 1990s over alleged violence and sexual assault at a private school. But police had considered his involvement as only one possible explanation behind the boy's tragic death.
Earlier this month, investigators returned to Le Vernet, with forensic teams combing through "several spots in the area." The prosecutor confirmed that forensic operations are still ongoing in various locations, with new developments expected as the investigation unfolds.
CNN has reached out to the grandparents' lawyer.

 

[Tresir]

So he disappeared from and was sighted in Le Haut-Vernet but the grandparents appear to now live in La Bouilladisse which is where they were arrested. So did they move?

BTW when they say "the commune of" it just means "the village of". Villages are called communes in France. So commune does not mean the same as commune in English.

 

[Tresir]

Seems to be big news in France. Many articles, some showing the funeral pics in February and listing the wife's and parents names. Won't post more for now.

Distance between villages and a map. 164 km (125 miles). Looks like they moved to a sunnier climate near the beaches of the South of France. Unless they own both, like a mountain home and a beach home. Other articles appear to indicate the Alpine home is the summer home that Emile went missing from in July 2023.

 

[Tresir]

I am going to post this recent DM article as it has more detais and a map where Emile's remains were found. Very interesting.

Bombshell new twist in case of missing French infant Emile Soleil

Prosecutors spoke after Emile's grandparents, who were looking after him when he vanished from their holiday home in Haut Vernet in 2023, were released from custody

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[GrandmaBear]

So he disappeared from and was sighted in Le Haut-Vernet but the grandparents appear to now live in La Bouilladisse which is where they were arrested. So did they move?

BTW when they say "the commune of" it just means "the village of". Villages are called communes in France. So commune does not mean the same as commune in English.

It's good you tell us of the commune thing. I knew the meaning of his name but I'm sure not all do.

I remember thinking how different the news and reporting was coming from France than what would typically happen here, although ours is sure change in some states, meaning filings and court records sealed, etc. Not that this one had resulted in any arrests yet then, but the reporting was hard to trust. IMHO.

It was supposedly the grandparents with he child on a trip, then it was a reunion with a lot of people. I seem to recall the mom very much later in the news being there .
a bf or some such. Maybe it was with the actual father, not sure.
ndpn
My very first thoughts and I mean the very first were the grandparents adored this child and took him for a holiday as it was said this was a vacay home or some such. At first not another person was mentioned as being there.

Again, the reporting or maybe no info allowed was very different than here although sometimes things are pretty mum here too but not always.

It was only a brief first report that I thought maybe he did just wander off and then my radar went up pretty fast because NOTHING was as it sounded at first.

So they are saying the parents were not present and that means the other two are aunts or uncles OR the parents are not under our kind of "arrest" with that weird wording explaining but not arrests in France.

I also remember recalling when this took off that we don't hear about crime there much and wondering if it was due to reporting, lack of coverage, laws or what... Maybe there is more one could find but just not taking off like this one did, or put out here or there, etc. Do you have any idea? I know of far more crime from your area than France but I also used to watch a show that is like one of ours... I know of a handful of New Zealand and Australia crimes, Canada crimes, etc. Never or rarely France. But maybe that's just due to who I follow and who I don't and so forth. No idea.

So yeah, the news kept changing and it was hard to know what was true. There was then supposedly a ton of family there and so many outside when he wandered off. More. Or the story kept changing... Hard to say. It became pretty clear these grandparents were not on some holiday with an adored grandson pretty darned fast, at least imo.

Now we come to find they had the body far longer than known. I don't know if I've ever known of that happening here. Maybe a few times but having trouble coming up with any. I know often they are not released for a long time, that comes to mind and was the case in Daybell, while cases go on, in case the D wants their own tests, etc. which is sad.

Please forgive me as I'm trying to remember everything and don't have it in me to go back and look. I went down for the count, just awoke again, and hurt like royal he77. Not even again getting done what I need to do so here I am. Hey, at least I can somewhat type now as it hurts while doing so.

Like many cases even here, there are also so many questions or at least I had them, one never gets answered. About the family and then why he wasn't with mom and dad etc. as it quickly seemed this was no nice holiday vacation with a grandson.

Don't quote me, going by memory.

While the pics of the area clearly would worry one that if he wandered off it was mountains, thick dense forest, etc., it just didn't fit. The story changed and then it was so many never worried, watched, saw him go off and I started thinking okay either this was some major drinking or drug using party because how the heck... He is TWO, someone would watch no? I was at that even before but it was starting to appear to be the case. I find myself watching stranger's children if the parents aren't. Honestly. There was a day some years back I think I shared it where I found myself doing that wtih like at least three over the course of a day out shopping. I've done it at work too. It is why cases amaze me where some two or three year old is seen say alone on a road or sidewalk but the passersby never stop or call in even... You just DO IT. Or should, imo.

Anyhow, then it was checking toll things and what not, a very, very small village. It is good you explained commune as I recall that and the connotation here is different. At least to most.

Going to sidetrack for a second--go figure--the other day I was watching a more cooking, family type show I subscribe to where they bought a ton of acreage, have a dozen kids of all ages, yada, yada, and she either said commune or compound and how ideally they'd love to have all the grown children live there, etc., etc. and I thought OKAYYYYY that wasn't the right word.... To pick... I think she might do it intentionally to get reaction, used to love the channel but starting to wonder. Lol.

Ouch. Man.

Anyhow, it seemed obvious pretty quickly something else was going on. And all the village turned out and was searching, etc. you are finding some pretty good info and are good at such.

the person supposedly seeing him or were there a couple even, yeah that's a question...

Maybe I already said this,, can't recall, my stomach is literally noisily grumbling, might just quit that pred doesn't seem to be helping anyhow, and going to be totally out of food at this rate, but I have it in my head the grandpa is a step but I could be wrong, don't quote. Your one article does say how he was in trouble or questioned in the past for something else...

Man he's just a baby and not looked out for or cared about by anyone apparently. And now dead although that's been known for a bit but not as long as they knew. This isn't any "normal" family and that seemed clear imo pretty quickly.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Seems to be big news in France. Many articles, some showing the funeral pics in February and listing the wife's and parents names. Won't post more for now.

Distance between villages and a map. 164 km (125 miles). Looks like they moved to a sunnier climate near the beaches of the South of France. Unless they own both, like a mountain home and a beach home. Other articles appear to indicate the Alpine home is the summer home that Emile went missing from in July 2023.

View attachment 24314

It sounded like a vacation home at first with them just taking their grandson for a holiday...

 

[GrandmaBear]

Why do you think it got such huge attn? It did, no doubt.

 

[Tresir]

Why do you think it got such huge attn? It did, no doubt.

There's something in the grandfathers past and there is a priest who killed himself. Read the DM article i posted a link but didn't copy pasta.

The grandparents seem to have a summer and winter home. The winter home is on the south cost and the summer home is in the mountains and it is the summer home he went missing from. The French are very family oriented. Have big family gatherings and sit down dinners outside in the summer. The whole country shuts down for two hours lunch every day. We had a tumbledown house in the Charente Maritime - about half way down the West coast and spent 20 years of holidays visiting every holiday we possibly could from April till September from the mid nineties till early 2000's. If we could we would always plan to be driving down at lunchtime as there was never any traffic then as they were all having big long lunches. We would go on the ferry to St. Malo then around 3 hours drive straight down via Nantes and close to La Roche-sur-Yonne.

Yeah a commune here in Britain is a large living community all in one big house or acreage and tents often where they live off the land, a bit hippy like.