A toddler who went missing in a French Alpine village may have been eaten by wolves.
Emile Soleil was last seen on July 8, 2023 at his grandparent's home in the village of Le Vernet.
The dead remains of the two-year-old, including a skull with a bite mark - were discovered in a forested ravine on March 30.
Now, locals have said they believe that Emile was killed in a chilling attack by a pack of wolves.
Emile Soleil went missing in the remote French village
Reuters
One person told Le Parisien: "The little one must have been the victim of an animal. And I only see the wolf as the culprit.
"They say wolves are afraid of people, but with a little boy like that, a big boy, the wolf would have seen him as another prey."
Mayor of Vernet where Emile lived François Balique also indicated that he believes in the wolves theory.
He said: "There are some wolves here, especially in the summer with the sheep flocks. A wolf can very well grab a child at the village well and run for half an hour without stopping and without shedding blood."
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Police at the scene in Le Vernet
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President of the Vernet hunters' association Stéphane Chevrier told Le Figaro: "Our department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is one of the largest recorded wolf populations. Last September there were several attacks on cows and sheep near Vernet."
After he went missing on July 8 last year from his isolated grandparents' home, detectives launched a major search. For days, police, soldiers, sniffer dogs, scores of volunteers, a helicopter and drones failed to find any sign.
They began a criminal investigation into possible abduction but didn't rule out the possibilities of an accident or fall.
However, his remains were discovered by a hiker about a 25-minute walk away from the hamlet of Haut-Vernet, near Grenoble.
Aix-en-Provence prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon (C), held a press conference with Marseille's Gendarmerie crime unit chief Christophe Berthelin (L), and southern Alps Gendarmerie chief Pierre-Yves Bardy (R)
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Residents of Vernet often refer to it as the "village of the damned" due to a number of horror incidents in its past.
In March 2015, the hamlet was also cordoned off following a horrific air crash in which 150 people died, including two babies. The Germanwings Airbus A320 was deliberately brought down by co-pilot Andres Lubitz, who had previously been treated for suicidal tendencies.
Also, in 2008, Jeannette Grosos, who ran the Café du Moulin in the village, was brutally killed by a customer.
A statement from Emile's parents, Marie and Colomban Soleil, who are both devout Catholics, said they "now know on this Resurrection Sunday that Emile watches over them in the light and tenderness of God.
"Marie and Colomban would like to thank all those who helped and supported them as well as the investigating judges and investigators for their work, their professionalism, their personal commitment and their humanity which were of great comfort to them, in recent months and in particular on this day...
"But the pain and sorrow remain. The time has come for mourning, contemplation and prayer."