The mystery remains. More than five months after bones and clothes of little Émile were found in Haut-Vernet (Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence) where he disappeared in July 2023, “expertise is still ongoing” – as is the investigation – the prosecutor of Aix-en-Provence Jean-Luc Blachon in charge of the case tells Le Parisien, confirming information from BFMTV. Concerning the investigation, he assures Le Parisien that “no leads have been ruled out to date”: the criminal hypothesis is therefore still current, as is the one where an animal would have intervened.
According to TF1 Info, citing a source close to the investigation, analyses are continuing on the little boy’s clothes and the conclusions are expected in mid-October. Émile’s grandparents “expect a lot from the expertise” and “the scientific truth [qui] will allow them to arrive at a judicial truth,” their lawyer, Maître Isabelle Colombani, told BFMTV.
“New hearings” have taken place
Speaking to BFMTV, Aix-en-Provence prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon assured that “new hearings” had recently taken place and “that others will take place”. “At this stage, no police custody has taken place”, he specified to our colleagues. According to him, “new elements” have emerged in the investigation since the discovery of the bones. Around ten investigators are still working on this case. Cameras were also installed at the end of June in the area where the body was discovered, according to BFMTV and TF1 Info.
Little Émile disappeared on July 8, 2023, while he was spending the holidays with his grandparents in Haut-Vernet. He was then two and a half years old. Despite significant research resources, his trace was not found until the end of last March when some of his bones were discovered by a walker not far from the place of his disappearance.
