Tragic discovery in Le Vernet: the poignant story of the hiker who found little Emile’s skull

At the beginning of April, other bones and clothing were discovered after the first macabre find. Sadia, a regular hiker in the region, made this sad discovery on 30 March on a path in the hills above Le Vernet, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region. On Friday 27 September, she agreed to return to the scene and recount the shocking moment.

She recalls how surprised she was when she spotted a ‘little ball’ in the middle of the path: ‘A skull, all white, centred, right in the middle: *I said to myself: ‘Oh, that’s little Emile’’.

This discovery marked the start of the investigations into the disappearance of the two-and-a-half-year-old child on 8 July 2023.

A deliberate and precise act

The 62-year-old hiker says that she immediately took care not to alter the bone. She carefully wrapped it in a small bag, taking care not to leave any fingerprints, before slipping it into her rucksack to hand it over to the local authorities. The skull was more than a kilometre and a half from the hamlet of Haut-Vernet, where little Emile was last seen alive.

New discoveries and an ongoing investigation

Following this initial identification, the gendarmerie intensified the search in the area. A few days later, new bones and clothing belonging to the child were found, re-launching the investigation and raising hopes of understanding this tragedy. DNA analysis was quickly carried out and is now complete. The findings have been passed on to the examining magistrate at the criminal investigation centre in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône.

For the moment, the results of these analyses have not been made public, and the mystery surrounding the circumstances of little Emile’s death remains unsolved. More than a year after his disappearance, the pain and questions persist, leaving the local community waiting for answers.

A tragedy that still haunts the region

The people of Le Vernet are still deeply affected by this tragedy. Sadia’s account, with all the emotion that goes with it, bears witness to the impact of this tragedy on those who live near the place where the child was found. The fate of this little boy, who died too soon and in as yet unknown circumstances, continues to haunt the region as investigations continue.