The live coverage has now concluded. A development in an investigation that seemed to have stalled. The case of the disappearance of young Emile Soleil, which had touched France in the summer of 2023, took a dramatic turn on Tuesday, March 25 with the grandparents on his mother’s side, with whom he was staying at the time of his disappearance, as well as an uncle and aunt of the boy, being placed in custody.
«Philippe Vedovini and his wife, grandparents of Emile Soleil, along with two of their adult children, have been placed in custody on charges of voluntary homicide and concealing a corpse,» stated the Public Prosecutor, Jean-Luc Blanchon, in a press release. According to France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, investigators seized a van used for transporting horses, as well as the grandfather’s 4×4, during a search at his residence. Follow our live coverage.
More than twenty months of investigation. Emile, aged 2 and a half, disappeared on July 8, 2023, shortly after arriving for summer vacation at his maternal grandparents’ second home in the village of Haut-Vernet (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). For nine months, the investigation yielded no concrete results, until the end of March 2024 when a walker discovered the child’s skull and teeth. A public funeral was held on February 8 in the basilica of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume (Var).
The grandparents’ residence was searched. «These custody placements are part of a phase of verifying and confronting the elements and information gathered during the investigations conducted in recent months,» stated the prosecutor on Tuesday. «Investigators are also carrying out forensic operations in various locations across the territory,» he added. A search took place at the grandparents’ main residence in La Bouilladisse (Bouches-du-Rhône), as confirmed by France Télévisions with the gendarmes. It concluded by midday and lasted nearly four hours, according to France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur.
The family circle under scrutiny by investigators. The grandparents’ lawyer, Isabelle Colombani, confirmed to AFP the custody of her clients, stating that she had «no comment.» The identity of the other two individuals in custody, an uncle and an aunt of the child, is not known. Investigators have already looked into the maternal grandfather’s past, as his name had been linked to a case of violence against minors in the 1990s. La disparition tragique du petit Emile Soleil, qui avait ému la France à l’été 2023, a pris un tournant spectaculaire le mardi 25 mars avec l’arrestation de ses grands-parents maternels, chez qui il se trouvait au moment de sa disparition, ainsi que de son oncle et de sa tante.
Selon le procureur de la République, Jean-Luc Blanchon, «Philippe Vedovini et son épouse, grands-parents d’Emile Soleil, ainsi que deux de leurs enfants majeurs, ont été placés en garde à vue des chefs d’homicide volontaire et recel de cadavre». Des véhicules ont été saisis lors d’une perquisition, dont un van utilisé pour le transport de chevaux et le 4×4 du grand-père d’Emile Soleil.
La disparition d’Emile, âgé de 2 ans et demi, remonte au 8 juillet 2023. Après neuf mois d’enquête sans résultats concrets, le crâne et les dents de l’enfant ont été découverts fin mars 2024 par une promeneuse. Des obsèques publiques ont eu lieu en février dernier.
Les enquêteurs ont perquisitionné le domicile des grands-parents dans le cadre de leur investigation. Le cercle familial est au centre des interrogations, notamment en raison du passé du grand-père maternel d’Emile, impliqué dans une affaire de violences sur mineurs dans les années 1990.
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