Death of young Émile: suspected arsonist to be tried on 7 July
A 78-year-old man, suspected of attempting to set fire to the house of Émile Soleil's grandparents at Haut-Vernet, will appear before the magistrates' court on 7 July.
Septuagenarian committed to trial following attempted arson at Haut-Vernet
A 78-year-old man will be tried on 7 July before the magistrates' court for attempting to set fire to the secondary residence of the Vedovini, the grandparents of young Émile Soleil, during the night of 15 to 16 May, around 0h30. According to France Info, the prosecutor of Digne-les-Bains, Antoine Pesme, announced to the AFP that the suspect had been presented on Monday 18 May to the public prosecutor's office as part of a deferred appearance hearing.
Following forty-eight hours of custody, the septuagenarian appeared before the judge for freedoms and detention, "in anticipation of his placement in provisional detention, pending his trial", specified prosecutor Pesme.
Multiple fire starts and a strong smell of petrol
During the night of Friday to Saturday, the man lit several fires around the Vedovini house at Haut-Vernet, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Émile's grandparents were not present at the time of the incidents. The gendarmes noted "a strong smell of petrol" at the scene. The suspect himself "presented a smell of petrol" when apprehended, specifies the gendarmes' statement.
He was arrested without resistance on Saturday morning in a hotel room that he had booked the previous day in the municipality of Le Vernet. At this stage of the investigation, no information has been communicated about his motives.
Émile's grandparents express a sense of danger
Following this attempted arson, the Vedovini stated they felt "in danger". "Today, our children and ourselves are in danger because after the custody periods, we have been crushed and thrown to the media as prey", they stated on BFMTV.
Émile's grandparents, as well as two of their adult children, had been placed in custody in 2025 for "wilful homicide" and "concealing a body". They had been released forty-eight hours later, the magistrate having justified this decision on the grounds that "the evidence was not sufficient" for any potential proceedings.
A case that reopens the wounds of Émile's disappearance
Émile Soleil disappeared in July 2023 at Haut-Vernet, when he was two and a half years old. The case had sparked a vast mobilisation and a large-scale investigation. The attempted arson targeting the Vedovini property reopens tensions around a judicial case still open, in which no charge has to date led to definitive proceedings.
The septuagenarian's trial is scheduled for 7 July before the competent magistrates' court.
Source: France Info