Grandparents arrested on suspicion of MURDER over death of missing boy Émile Soleil, 2, who vanished from holiday home

THE grandparents of missing Émile Soleil have been arrested on suspicion of murder in a shocking twist.

The two-year-old vanished two years ago while at his grandparent's holiday home in France.

Photo of two-year-old Emile Soleil.
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Émile Soleil, 2, vanished from a holiday home in July 2023Credit: Enterprise
Photo of Emile Soleil, a missing two-year-old boy.
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Émile Soleil's remains were foundCredit: Social Media
Road sign pointing to Le Vernet, D457.
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The boy was on holiday at his grandparents holiday home in Haut-Vernet when he went missingCredit: Peter Jordan
Map showing the location where Emile's remains were found in relation to a church and chapel.
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Émile was officially in the care of his granddad, Philippe Vedovini, the day he disappeared as his parents, Marie and Colomban Soleil took a break.

A witness saw Mr Vedovini, a physiotherapist-osteopath, cutting wood outside his house around the time Emile is thought to have wandered off.

His remains, including a fractured skull, were only discovered nine months later, following daily searches.

François Balique told Le Figaro at the time that the remains were found "on a path between the Church and Chapel" in the village - just over a 100 yards from his home.

But Mayor Balique said the hamlet in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence had been "thoroughly searched by gendarmes", suggesting that the bones could have been moved back to Vernet.

A source close to the investigation told The Mail that such a move would add a very disturbing element to the investigation.

It would be unlikely that animals would return human remains, the source claimed.

Instead they said the discovery suggests that "a person brought Emile's remains back, and potentially very recently".

Parents of Emile arrive at his funeral.
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Emile's parents arrive at his funeral ceremony in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, southern France in FebruaryCredit: AFP

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