EMILE Soleil’s grandparents have been released without charge after being arrested in connection with his alleged murder.
Philippe and Anne Vedovini, both 59, were quizzed for 17 hours after Emile was found dead in the French Alps.
He was staying at the Vedovinis’ isolated holiday home in the Alpine hamlet of Haut-Vernet, south of Grenoble, when he disappeared in July 2023.
Emile’s remains, including a fractured skull, were found nearby nine months later, following daily searches.
On Tuesday, the Vedovinsis were arrested in dawn raids along with two of their adult children, identified as Émile’s aunt and uncle.
All faced charges of ‘intentional homicide’ and ‘concealing a corpse’, a statement released by Aix-en-Provence prosecutors said.
But at 5am on Thursday the four were released from the secure gendarmerie in Marseille where they had been held.
Isabelle Colombani, Mr Vedovini’s lawyer, said outside the gendarmerie: “After 17 hours of questioning, today, the custody has been lifted.
“It’s a relief for them, and for their lawyers too. I have never been too worried.
“I thought we could explain everything. There were maybe some grey areas to clear up, but that’s it.”
Julien Pinelli, the defense barrister for Ms. Vedovini, expressed his relief that his client’s custody had been lifted, allowing her to walk away free.
He shared that Emile’s grandmother willingly took part in the investigation, despite the difficult circumstances, as she believed it was her way of contributing to the ongoing inquiry.
There was no immediate statement from Aix-en-Provence prosecutors, or judicial police, who are in charge of the investigation.
The authorities had the option to detain the four family members for up to 72 hours initially, with the ability to extend the custody duration as needed while the investigation proceeded.
Enquiry sources have confirmed that the Vedovinis, who were looking after Émile when he went missing, were arrested following months of police wire taps.
Conversations between them and other family members were all secretly listened to, while enquiries were conducted around their lives.
At the time of Émile’s disappearance, Mr Vedovini admitted “fifteen minutes of inattention”.
The search for the toddler finally ended when Emile’s bones were found in March 2024 by a rambler.
A witness saw Mr Vedovini, a physiotherapist-osteopath, cutting wood outside his house around the time Emile is thought to have wandered off from the property in Haut-Vernet.
Mr Vedovini is also under investigation in connection with an entirely different case relating to sex abuse at a Roman Catholic School in the 1990s.
He was training to be a monk when he worked at Riaumont, a Catholic community that includes a boarding school for troubled youngsters in Northern France.
Mr Vedovini, who was known as Brother Philippe at the time, denies any wrongdoing.
He gave up his vocation to become a monk in order to marry his wife, Anne Vedovini.
Both remain devout Roman Catholics, who brought up 10 children including Emile’s mother, who is now known by her married name of Marie Soleil.
Her husband is Colomban Soleil, 27, who is Emile’s father.
Emile’s case shocked the world when the child vanished in July 2023 from his grandparents’ home where he had been staying.
Also at the house were six of Philippe and Anne’s ten children – but not Emile’s parents.
For days, police, soldiers, sniffer dogs, scores of volunteers, a helicopter and drones failed to find any sign of the boy.
Nine months later, Emile’s remains were discovered by a rambler – marking a major breakthrough for the case.
The remains were found about a 25-minute away from the French hamlet of Haut-Vernet where Emile was last seen.
