Emile death in Alps village: Police custody extended for grandparents

The grandparents together with an aunt and uncle of Emile, 2, who disappeared in a French Alps village in July 2023, have had their police custody extended after they were first apprehended on March 25.

The four were taken into police custody on March 25, on suspicion of ‘homicide volontaire (voluntary homicide / murder)’ and ‘recel de cadavre (concealing of a body)’, after investigations by the gendarmerie de Marseille. These reportedly included findings made via previously-unheard phone call recordings. 

Their arrest was first announced by the chief prosecutor of Aix-en-Provence, Jean-Luc Blachon, in a press release seen by the Agence France-Presse.

Read more: Death of Emile, 2, in Alps: Grandparents in police custody on suspicion of murder 

Lawyer for the grandfather, Isabelle Colombani, confirmed just after midnight that all four had their police custody extended by 24 hours.

In France, people can be taken into police custody and questioned about a suspected crime, without being charged or considered guilty. However, police can only detain someone for so long without just cause or charging them. 

Custody can be extended by a maximum of 24 hours (for 48 hours total), and for some serious infringements, to 72 hours. For some cases, such as those involving suspected drug trafficking or terrorism, the detention period can even be extended to 96 or 144 hours if a judge allows.

‘Not a decision of guilt’

Ms Colombani said that her client was cooperating with police.

“[He is] answering questions and is there to help us get closer to the truth, in the hope that we will succeed. I hope that these police custody hearings will lead to something,” she said, adding that the questioning has been “going well”, and without “confrontation”.

“Police custody is not a decision of guilt,” she said.

It comes after police continued investigations into the grandparents and family, and searched the grandparents’ home in La Bouilladisse (Bouches-du-Rhône). Investigators seized an SUV and a horse trailer for examination.

Disappearance

Emile Soleil disappeared at the age of two and a half in the hamlet of Haut-Vernet (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), in July 2023, soon after arriving at his grandparents’ holiday home in the hamlet to have a holiday with other members of his large family. His parents were not present at the time.

Some witnesses said they saw Emile walking away from the house and around the hamlet, but subsequent searches (including local search parties, helicopter searches, and sniffer dog visits) found no sign of him.

Read more: Boy, 2, missing in French Alps: Outsiders banned from search site
Read also: Boy, 2, missing in French Alps: Sniffer dogs search for human remains

Almost a year later, his bones were discovered in a wooded area by a hiker, on March 30, 2024, around 1.7 km away from the hamlet (a 25-minute walk for an adult).

They included a child’s skull and teeth, later identified as belonging to Emile. Another small piece of bone and clothing, also belonging to Emile, were found nearby in a separate search.

Yet, on March 13 this year, speculation on the circumstances surrounding the case started anew when investigators and gendarmes returned to Haut-Vernet.

“The arrests are part of a phase of verification and cross-checking of the evidence and information gathered during the investigations carried out in recent months,” Mr Blachon said. 

Investigators are also conducting forensic operations in various locations throughout the country, and this new breakthrough has reportedly come after an investigation into previously-unheard telephone calls. 

“A further announcement will be made once the current operations have been completed,” he said.