Tragic update on case of missing Emile as two-year-old’s remains found in Alpine village nine months after he vanished

Cops have announced they will be conducting ’criminalistic analysis’ in the coming days to try and finally solve the mysterious disappearance

Police have announced a tragic update on the case of a missing two-year-old boy in France.

Emile Soleil went missing last year but cops announced today that his remains have been found in an Alpine village almost nine months after he first vanished.

Emile’s remains have been found almost nine months after he first vanished in FranceCredit: AFP

The Aix-en-Provence public prosecutor’s office announced the sad news saying a walker alerted police of his horrifying find during a hike on Saturday.

They released a statement saying "genetic analysis identifies" the bones as belonging to Emile.

It added that "criminalistic analysis" was now underway as well as "additional research" in the nearby area.

Cops launched a frantic search back on July 8, 2023, in the village of Le Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, when young Emile Soleil disappeared.

He was last seen with his grandfather, Philippe Vedovini, 58, who was looking after Emile for his parents.

Although two people later claimed they saw him wandering around by himself as Philippe chopped wood in his garden.

Emile, who was originally from Bouches-du-Rhône near Marseille, was described as 3ft tall with brown eyes and blonde hair.

The day he disappeared he was wearing a yellow top, white shorts with a green pattern, and hiking shoes.

A source close to the investigation told La Depeche the two witnesses who "confirmed that they saw the child walking alone at the time of his disappearance" are "reliable people" who they "trust completely".

His grandparents quickly informed the authorities at around 5.15pm local time when they couldn’t find the tot - sparking a massive search for the missing boy.

Over 800 people were involved in the hunt but he was never found despite helicopters, drones and sniffer dogs being used.

Even a recording of Emile’s mum voice was played from loudspeakers in the area that cops thought he could have ended up in.

The cause of his death is still unknown.

At the time, local prosecutor Rémy Avon said the "physical search" ended as if the child was in the area he "should have been found in the perimeter in two days".

He also said cops were looking into all possible theories and have not ruled out anything.

"At the moment we have no clue, no information, no element that can help us understand this disappearance," he said.

"The judicial investigation into the causes of the disappearance will continue, in particular by analysing the considerable mass of information and elements collected over the past four days."

The prosecutor added that detectives were proving all possibilities - including that Emile had been murdered, kidnapped or involved in an accident.

Investigators are believed to have received over 900 calls from the public relating to the case.

Almost all of which were dismissed as unrelated.

Le Vernet resident Gilles Thezan said on Thursday that it was always "nerve-wracking to go for a walk" in the area because you never knew what you were going to find.

"The mood has been heavy since July," he continued.

THE CURSED VILLAGE

Nearby residents of Le Vernet often refer to it as "the village of the damned" due to a number of horror incidents in the area.

In March 2015, a horrific air crash saw 150 people die, including two babies after it crashed over the alpine mountain in the village.

It is said that the Germanwings Airbus A320 pilot Andres Lubitz deliberately crashed the plane due to poor mental health.

Everybody is saying it – Vernet feels like a village of the damned

Vernet Resident

Many Le Vernet residents even helped out with rescue missions to search for any possible survicors.

They also opened up their homes to the family and friends of those searching for their loved ones.

As 15 years ago, a brutal murder took place in the small village when a local café manager, Jeannette Grosos, was killed by a customer.

Mayor François Balique said years after the horror events: "It was a real drama for the whole village – one which it has had a hard time recovering."

One resident of Vernet said: "Everybody is saying it – Vernet feels like a village of the damned."

David Wilson