Nearly two years after 2-year-old Émile Soleil vanished from the French Alps, police have arrested his grandparents in connection with his death. Authorities arrested Philippe Vedovini and Anne Vedovini on March 25, 2025, on suspicion of voluntary homicide and concealing a corpse. Authorities identified Émile’s remains in 2024 and now believe they may have found his killers.
Per the New York Post, according to Le Parisien, police also arrested two other family members, but authorities did not release their names.
“These police custody placements are part of a phase of verification and comparison of the evidence and information gathered during the investigations carried out in recent months,” an Aix-en-Provence prosecutor shared in a statement to Le Parisien.
The day Émile disappeared, his grandparents were not home, according to the Post. He was reportedly left in the care of several other relatives. More than 800 people searched for the child but to no avail. Months later, in March 2024, a hiker discovered the child’s remains about a mile from his grandparents’ home. Police reportedly could not determine a cause of death based on the partial remains.
@bbcnews Emile went missing in July 2023, but his remains were found a year later near his grandparents’ home. #EmileSoleil #HautVernet #Alps #France #Police #FrenchPolice #Investigation #Crime #CrimeTok #News #BBCNews ♬ original sound – BBC News
According to CNN, the case sparked media attention because of a prior investigation into Phillipe Vedovini years earlier. The grandfather reportedly became a suspect in a crime committed in the 1990s over alleged violence and sexual assault at a private school.
The Sun reported that a Catholic priest named Father Claude Gilliot, who reportedly baptized Émile, died by suicide and left a chilling note behind days before the arrests. Gilliot allegedly had a falling out with Phillipe and Anne Vedonvini before his death, per the news outlet.
He allegedly left a note behind that read, “Warn my sister. Tell her I love her. Tell my brother-in-law, I love them.” He added, “Love alone matters. Proclaim the Gospel. God is good and merciful, O sweet Jesus, gentle and humble of heart.”
According to the Sun, Gilliot died from a “massive overdose.” The case remains under investigation.
