Confused investigators: Mysterious discovery relating to the death of little Émile in France

It is not yet clear what exactly caused little Émile’s death. Investigators revealed a detail that left them perplexed.

The search for answers to the tragic case of Emilea two-year-old boy who disappeared from the French mountain village of Le Vernet in July 2023. New details now raise further questions.

An investigator revealed to French broadcaster BFMTV that authorities are investigating a mysterious detail. Authorities found his shoes very close to his remains, but without laces.

Police are examining several hypotheses, including the possibility that the shoelaces were deliberately removed by someone, or that they came loose following walking on thick ground.

«The fact can be explained by circumstances attributable to third parties. But a natural explanation is also possible: walking through the bushes with single or double knots and large loops and then pulling the laces,” the source told BFMTV.

While investigators continue to doggedly search for answers, the central question remains the same: why did Émile die?

A search operation that lasted a month

Little Émile had been missing since July 8, 2023, when he disappeared from his grandparents’ garden in the French mountain village of Le Vernet.

That day some witnesses had seen the child running along a street in the village. Subsequently, traces of him were lost.

Victim of a wolf?

Weeks of searches by emergency services were unsuccessful. Finally, at the end of March, a woman found the boy’s skull about a 25-minute walk from the mountain village where he lived.

Police said several cracks and fractures on the skull were identified, but these must have occurred after the child’s death.

Based on the bite marks, Le Vernet also hypothesizes that the little one may have been the victim of an attack by a wolf.