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French investigators have discovered the body of a toddler who disappeared last year in an Alpine village, a case that deeply affected the nation. They are now working to determine the cause of his death, a prosecutor announced on Sunday.
Two-and-a-half-year-old Emile Soleil went missing on July 8 last year while staying with his grandparents.
Two neighbors last saw him walking alone on a street in Le Vernet, a village located 1,200 meters up in the French Alps.
“On Saturday, police were notified of the discovery of bones near the hamlet of Le Vernet,” prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon stated. Genetic testing confirmed that the bones belonged to the boy.
“This tragic news was feared,” said the child’s parents in a statement released by their lawyer, Jerome Triomphe.
The parents, both devout Catholics, “now know on this Resurrection Sunday that Emile watches over them in the light and tenderness of God,” the statement read. “But the pain and sorrow remain.”
“The time has come for mourning, contemplation, and prayer,” the statement continued, requesting privacy for the family.
French investigators have found the “bones” of a toddler who went missing last summer. Source: Getty / Nicolas Tucat/AFP
The prosecutor did not disclose the cause of death but mentioned that forensic investigators were still examining the bones, which were discovered by a passerby.
The prosecutor also mentioned that new searches were being conducted in the area where the body was found. A roadblock had been set up on the only road leading to Le Vernet on Sunday.
Emile disappeared the day after he arrived in the village to spend his holidays with his maternal grandparents.
At the time of his disappearance, the little boy was wearing a yellow T-shirt, white shorts, and small hiking shoes, according to investigators.
A large-scale search involving police, soldiers, sniffer dogs, a helicopter, and drones had failed to yield any clues.
‘Family’s grief’
Police have initiated a criminal investigation into a potential abduction. The possibilities of an accident or a fall have not been ruled out.
Police returned to the village on Thursday, cordoning off the area and summoning 17 individuals, including family members, neighbors, and witnesses, to reenact the moments before the boy went missing.
Drones were used to capture footage of the reenactment, but no significant developments were reported.
Emile’s parents were not present on the day he disappeared.
Some media reports had focused on the boy’s grandfather, who is now in his fifties.
The grandfather had been questioned in the 1990s regarding alleged violence and sexual assault at a private school.
However, a source close to the case stated that any potential involvement of the grandfather was being considered along with other hypotheses.
The grandfather’s lawyer declined to comment on Sunday, “out of respect for the family’s grief.”
In November, a day before Emile would have turned three, his parents issued a plea for information in a Christian publication.
“Tell us where he is,” urged the couple, who also have a younger daughter.
