Bones were discovered near the hamlet of Le Vernet, close to where the little boy went missing in 2023
French investigators have found the remains of a toddler who went missing in 2023, in a case that shocked the nation.
Investigators are now working to determine how the boy died, a prosecutor said on Sunday.
Emile Soleil, aged two and a half, vanished on 8 July last year while staying with his grandparents in an Alpine village.
Two neighbours last saw him walking alone on a street in Le Vernet, 1,200 metres (4,000 feet) up in the French Alps.
“On Saturday, the police were informed of the discovery of bones near the hamlet of Le Vernet,” prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon said.
He added that genetic testing had shown they were the boy’s remains.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Emile Soleil, aged two and a half, vanished on 8 July last year while staying with his grandparents in an Alpine village.
“On Saturday, the police were informed of the discovery of bones near the hamlet of Le Vernet,” prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon said.
A roadblock had been set up on the only road into Le Vernet on Sunday with the prosecutor adding that police were carrying out new searches in the area where the body was found.
He was wearing a yellow T-shirt, white shorts and tiny hiking shoes, investigators said at the time.
A massive search involving police, soldiers, sniffer dogs, a helicopter and drones failed to find any sign of the boy.
Officers on Thursday returned to the village, cordoning off the area and summoning 17 people including family members, neighbours and witnesses to re-enact the last moments before he went missing.
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