NewsMissing toddler's remains spark controversy in French village

Missing toddler's remains spark controversy in French village

Found the remains of 2.5-year-old Emile. This is what she faced.
Found the remains of 2.5-year-old Emile. This is what she faced.
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Anna Wajs-Wiejacka

30 September 2024 20:44

A two-and-a-half-year-old boy named Emile from France went missing in July last year. The boy disappeared without a trace from his grandparents' garden. Extensive searches for a long time yielded no results. At the end of March this year, a woman walking in the forest stumbled upon the child's remains. "I was accused of killing the child. It's shocking," the 60-year-old woman confessed.

The woman who found Emile’s remains described the circumstances in which this macabre discovery took place. While walking near the village of Vernet, she came across a skull. "I thought it was that boy, that it was his skull. I don't know why, but I was sure of it," said Sadia.

After finding the child's remains, the police also found clothing belonging to the boy, along with the rest of his remains. The 60-year-old Sadia, who did not want to show her face, added that sometime later, people accused her of being involved in the child's disappearance. "I was accused of killing the child. It's shocking."

Sadia heard that she should not have picked up the skull. There were also questions about why the elderly woman does not have a phone and why she carries "plastic bags" with her. The 60-year-old hopes it will be possible to establish what happened to Emile. As she emphasised, this is important for Emile's closest relatives and everyone involved in his search.

Emile disappeared from his grandparents' garden. the whole village was closed down

Emile went missing on 8 July 2023. The boy was playing in his grandparents' garden, and they were preparing for a trip they wanted to take. Eventually, they realised that the boy was no longer around the house. Authorities were alerted, and extensive searches began.

The authorities decided to close off Vernet temporarily. No one from outside could enter the village. French media reported that by mid-September, the analysis of the boy's remains and clothes was completed. The prosecutor's office, quoted by the newspaper Le Parisien, indicated that no hypotheses were ruled out at this moment. No one has been detained in the case either.