Last summer, two-year-old Émile disappeared from his grandparents’ house in France.
Now, almost nine months later, the boy’s remains have been found.
On July 8, two-year-old Émile was playing in the garden outside his grandparents’ house in the small Alpine village of Haut-Vernet, in southeastern France. The grandparents turned their backs and suddenly the boy was gone.
The last time he was seen alive was walking alone along a road in the village. Since then, intensive search efforts and an extensive investigation have been underway.
But now, almost nine months later, hikers have found the boy’s remains near where he was last seen, writes Le Monde.
The parents: “Nothing to hide”
What happened to Émile is still unclear and the police will continue to investigate the incident, including through further witness interviews and technical examinations where the remains were found.
Last Thursday, police and 17 witnesses gathered to go over the day he disappeared in detail.
One of the police’s theories is that Émile’s father, who for a period was a member of the far-right group Social Bastion, must have something to do with the incident. In 2021, both of the boy’s parents were found on a political list linked to a right-wing populist.
Therefore, the police believe that it may be some kind of political revenge motive, which the parents deny.
– We have nothing to hide, they say in an interview.
July 19, 2023