Mystery in the Alps: The tragic tale of Emile Soleil's disappearance

In the French Alps, a tourist stumbled upon the remains of a small child. These bones were swiftly linked through DNA to Emile Soleil, a missing 2.5-year-old boy who vanished in July last year while vacationing with his grandparents in the town of Vernet. The authorities have yet to determine the cause of death, but new information regarding his family has surfaced.

The family of Emile has remained silent on the discovery of the boy's remains, according to the "Daily Mail". At the time of his disappearance, Emile was in the custody of his grandfather, Philippe Vedovini. The 58-year-old, a devout Catholic, once aspired to become a monk before meeting his future wife, Anne, reports the British newspaper.

In the 1990s, Vedovini was employed at a school embroiled in scandals of sexual exploitation and abuse of children. The "Daily Mail" revealed that criminal proceedings were directed at him. Emile's grandfather refuted all accusations, yet during an April 2018 interrogation, he confessed to employing "somewhat strict" physical discipline on students.

The boy's father has also faced legal issues. Soleil was arrested in 2018 for assaulting foreigners. At that time, he was involved with the nationalist group Action Francaise. Three years later, he and his wife contended in local elections in the Marseille region as candidates for the far-right party Reconquista.

A tourist found the skull and several teeth of 2.5-year-old Emile on Saturday, the BBC reports. By Tuesday, the police had discovered a T-shirt, shoes, and shorts Emile was wearing when he vanished. These items were found scattered across a small area roughly 164 yards from his remains.

"With only the bones found, we cannot pinpoint the cause of Emile's death," stated prosecutor Jean-Luc Blanchon. "Whether it was an accident, unintentional harm, or murder - we cannot favour one theory over another," he elaborated.