Death of Émile: new elements, hearings, expected report, “criminal hypothesis”… the prosecutor gives an update on the investigation

Nearly 6 months after the discovery of little Émile's bones, the investigation into his death continues and the public prosecutor assures that the criminal hypothesis has not been ruled out.

Little Émile Soleil had disappeared during the summer of 2023 in the hamlet of Haut-Vernet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. After months of research, investigation and mystery, the boy's bones were found in a wood. While there are still some gray areas in this case and the causes of the little boy's death are not known, the public prosecutor is not ruling out any leads, according to information from BFMTV.

Update on the investigation

“The investigation is still ongoing, as are the genetic tests. The investigating judges have further investigated the technical analyses. The criminal hypothesis is still relevant”, Jean-Luc Blachon, the prosecutor of Aix-en-Provence, told our colleagues.

The latter gave an update on the case, providing new details on the investigations that are continuing. Although little information has been communicated since the discovery of Émile's bones, the magistrate states that  "new elements in this case".

He also adds that new hearings have been conducted recently and that others should take place soon. However, "at this stage, no police custody has taken place". It is “a case that continues to be very active”, assured the prosecutor.

A report awaited

The investigation into this case, which has received unprecedented media coverage, is continuing. If initially the Criminal Research Institute of the National Gendarmerie (IRCGN) had carried out analyses on Émile's bones and clothing, a private laboratory in Bordeaux was entrusted with the same task.

Thus, new genetic expertise was carried out by the teams of Professor Christian Doutremepuich, considered to be the "DNA Pope", who will not take into account "what had been done before, but without this calling into question the excellence of the work of the gendarmerie", a source close to the case told BFMTV. Such analyses make it possible to say "whether the bones were moved (voluntarily or not) after the death, or whether they had been there since the little boy's death".

The report of the latter has not yet been submitted but the conclusions are expected by the end of the month. "This report could relaunch the procedure", notes the same source.

What happened ?

On July 8, 2023, at 6 p.m., the gendarmerie was alerted to the disappearance of the little boy, who had just arrived at his grandparents' house for the summer holidays. For seven days, police officers and volunteers will comb the surrounding area to find the child, in vain.

On March 28, 2024, eight months after the little boy's disappearance, a simulation is organized in Haut-Vernet to retrace Emile's movements minute by minute, with about fifteen people present in the area on the day of his disappearance.

On March 30, 2024, a hiker discovers the bones belonging to the little boy near Haut-Vernet. Since then, a part of mystery still hangs over this case that has affected the entire France.

“We need to know. A child of two and a half years old does not die like that. These questions deserve answers but perhaps we will never know… We will have to live with this doubt", had launched the mayor of Le Vernet, François Balique.