The grandparents of a small French boy who were found dead in the Alps were arrested today under suspicion of the murder of him and then hiding his corpse.
Philippe and Anne Vedovini, both 59, were taken into custody on Tuesday together with two of their adult children, in connection with the alleged murder of Émile Soleil.
The two-year-old stayed in the isolated Vedovinis holiday home in the Alpine Hamlet of Haut-Veret, south of Grenoble, when he was missing in July 2023.
His remains, including a broken skull, were found in the area nine months later after daily searches.
At the dawn, the police robbed the permanent house of the family near Marseille and arrested them.
Simultaneous swings by the police in the neighborhood led to the arrests of the other two suspects, who were not identified by name.
All are suspiciously of 'intentional murder' and 'hide a corpse', said a statement released by Aix-en-Provence Officers of Justice.
Emile, who disappeared on July 8, 2023 in Le Vernet, Southeast France,
Researchers today get a horse trailer from the building of the grandparents of Emile Soleil
Philippe Vedovini at the funeral of Little Emile in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume on February 8, 2025
Marie (L) et Colomban (4th L) Soleil, parents of Emile, arrive at the funeral ceremony in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, southern France, on 8 February 2025
It says: 'This morning Philippe Vedovini and his wife, grandparents of Émile Soleil, were taken into custody with two of their adult children' by researchers from the Marseille Gendarmerie research section.
“These placements of the guardianship of the police are part of a phase of verification and comparison of the evidence and the information collected during the investigation carried out in recent months.”
The statement adds: “Researchers also carry out forensic activities at various locations throughout the country.”
Isabelle Colombani, the lawyer of the grandparents, confirmed the arrest to AFP, the national news agency of France, but said she had no further comments.
The arrests took place at 6.30 am in La Bouilladisse, just north of Marseille, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in France.
Émile stayed in Haut -Vernet at the time of his disappearance and disappeared while he was under the supervision of his grandfather – who later admitted 'fifteen minutes of inattention'. '
The search for the child finally ended when the bones of Emile were found in March 2024 by a disaster.
A gendarme is outside the house of the grandparents of Emile Soleil on Tuesday
Émile's skull – which contained fractures and a bite mark – was found by a walker on March 30, 2024, on a path between the church and the chapel of the rural Alpine Village
Family members and friends, including Emile's grandfather Philippe Vedovini (3rd r), arrive at the funeral of a French toddler Emile who was missing in 2023 and whose remains were found in March 2024, in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, Southern France, on February 8, on February 8
Emile's grandfather Philippe Vedovini (3rd r) arrives at the funeral for Emile on February 8
A gendarme comes a vehicle inside the house of the grandparents of Emile Soleil
A witness saw Mr Vedovini, a physiotherapist-osteopath, who cuts wood outside his house around the time that Émile was forced to be from the building in Haut-Versnet.
Last year, French news stores such as Le Parisien and the highly respected investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné [The Chained Duck] reported disturbing information about Mr Vedovini.
“It is mainly his past that raises questions,” wrote Le Parisien, while it sketched details about a scandal for sexual abuse at a Roman Catholic school in the 1990s.
It also confirmed Mr Vedovini – who denied every misconduct – “has attracted the attention of gendarmes and forms one of their many lines of research.”
Mr Vedovini trained to be a monk when he worked at Riaumont, a Catholic community with a boarding school for restless young people in North France.
Located in Liévin, in the Pas-de-Calais, it was run by Benedictine Monks who received complaints from former students between 2014 and 2017.
They said they had had sexual abuse in the early 1990s, including rape, as well as regular physical strokes.
Mr Vedovini, who was known as brother Philippe When he worked at the school between 1991 and 1994, was involved in the investigation as an 'assisted witness'.
Interviewed by the police in April 2018, he admitted that he had managed 'somewhat hard' physical discipline, but said he had never violated the law, according to a source close to the investigation.
The long investigation into the mysterious death in 2023 of a French toddler took a surprise on March 25, 2025, when the police arrested the boy's grandparents on suspicion of murder (shown: the horse trailer removed from the building)
A forensic researcher today drives the car of the grandfather of Emile Soleil from the house
Emile became missing while in July 2023 in the summer house of his grandparents in Alpine Hamlet from Le Hautnet-Veret in the France of Alpine Hamlet-Veret
French gendarmes near the village last March after researchers discovered what they thought it was the 'bones' of Little Emile in the first major breakthrough in the case
Eleven former colleagues – seven religious and four lay staff – were eventually sued for various charges.
The public prosecutor in Béthune confirmed that the criminal investigation “was still going on” and “should be completed soon.”
There was no comments about the revelations of Mr Vedovini, nor his legal adviser, all of whom were approached.
Mr Vedovini gave up his calling to become a monk to marry his wife, Anne Vedovini.
Both remain pious Roman Catholics that have raised ten children, including the mother of Émile – who is now known under her married name Marie Soleil.
The extreme right -wing political background of the family has also been investigated by the police.
The father of Émile, Colomban Soleil, 27, was arrested for 'an attack on foreigners' in 2018.
He appeared for judges in Aix-en-Provence and was released for detention after promise to retain peace.
Gendarmes carefully look for the edge of the village of Vernet in July 2023
French Gendarmes participate in the search operation for two -year -old Emile in July 2023
Volunteers participate in a search operation for two and a half -year -old Emile in July 2023
At the time, Mr. Soleil was an activist linked to Action Francaise, the extreme right -wing nationalist and royalistic group, as well as the Neofascist Bastion Social.
Three years later, in 2021, Mr. Soleil and his wife were as local election candidates in the Marseille area, in support of the Reconquest party of Éric Zemmour, the convicted racist and Islamophobic who tried to become president of France in 2023.
Their election slogans at the time identified them as 'Friends of Éric Zemmour' who wanted to 'clean up' the system.
Emile's parents are not considered the two adult children who have arrested their parents today.
