French police found and identified the bones of Emile Soleil, a child who had been missing since July 2023 in a small village in the French Alps, in a case that shocked the country, a prosecutor said this Sunday.
Émile’s parents, however, have already reacted to the discovery of the boy’s remains.
“It is time to mourn. Marie and Colomban would like to thank everyone who helped and supported them, as well as the investigating judges and investigators, for their work, their professionalism, their personal commitment and their humanity, who have comforted them a lot in these last few months and, in particular, on this day”, reads a statement released by Me Triomphe, the family’s lawyer.
The boy’s parents reinforce that “the pain continues”, and launched an appeal to journalists to “respect their grief” and avoid contacting them and appearing at the couple’s residence.
Emile, aged two and a half, was on summer holiday with his grandparents when he disappeared on July 8 last year without leaving a trace. Two neighbors last saw him in the late afternoon walking alone on Le Vernet Street, at an altitude of 1,200 meters.
On Saturday, police were informed of the discovery of bones near Le Vernet. “Investigators took possession of the bones, which were immediately transported to the IRCGN [instituto de investigação criminal] for DNA analysis, which made it possible to conclude, on March 31, that they were the remains of the child Emile Soleil”, stated the Aix-en-Provence prosecutors quoted in Le Monde.
Genetic tests concluded this Sunday that they were the bones of the missing boy. No indication was given regarding the cause of death.
A search of the site involving dozens of police and soldiers, sniffer dogs, a helicopter and drones failed to find the boy in July.
Emile’s mother and father were absent on the day of the child’s disappearance.
