The grandparents of two-year-old boy Émile Soleil found dead in the French Alps have been released without charge after their arrest this week.
Philippe and Anne Vedovini, both 59, were taken into custody on suspicion of murder and concealing a body during an early morning raid of their home near Marseilles on Tuesday.
Two of their 10 children were also arrested. Émile’s parents were not among them.
Émile had been staying with his grandparents at their holiday home in the hamlet of Haut-Vernet, south of Grenboble, when he went missing in July 2023.
He was found dead with a fractured skull, which bore a bite mark, roughly a mile away nine months later in March last year.
After two days of questioning, police released the grandparents without charge around 5am on Thursday.
Mr Vedovini’s lawyer, Isabelle Colombani, said: ‘It’s a relief for them, and for their lawyers too. I have never been too worried.
‘I thought we could explaine everything. There were maybe some grey areas to clear up, but that’s it.’
Julien Pinelli, Ms Vedovini’s defence barrister, described the release as ‘naturally a huge relief’, saying: ‘She is walking away free.’
Although the initial 72-hour detention period has expired, police could renew the couple’s custody at any time during the investigation.
Ms Vedovini has previously admitted there were ‘fifteen minutes of inattention’ while Émile was in their care on the day he disappeared.
A witness claims to have seen Mr Vedovini, a physiotherapist-osteopath,cutting wood outside the house around the time Émile is thought to have gone missing.
The discovery of Émile’s body, with his clothes scattered over several metres nearby, sparked speculation that he may have been attacked by wolves.
Others suspect he may have died from hunger, thirst or exhaustion after wandering off and getting lost in the wilderness, French newspaper Le Parisien reported.
A Catholic priest who baptised Émile before his death, and later fell out with Mr Vedovini, killed himself on Saturday.
Father Claude Gilliot, 85, had frequently expressed his upset over the murder.
His sister, Claudine Vandenbroucke, said: ‘I’m very angry with Émile’s family, because I think it all started with them.’
