Emile Soleil suddenly disappeared from his grandparents’ house in a small village in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region of France. Despite an extensive search by air and land, the child couldn’t be found at that time. On Monday, the search resumed when a hiker found a skull and some teeth nearly 1km away from where the boy was last seen. This area had been searched by the police last year.

Later, Soleil’s clothes, a yellow t-shirt and white shorts, were discovered just 500 feet away from the spot where his skull was found.

Local public prosecutor Jean-Luc Blanchon confirmed that the police found his clothes on Saturday. They were scattered over a few meters.

“These bones by themselves do not allow us to say what the cause of Emile’s death is,” he said. “Between a fall, manslaughter or murder, no theory can be treated as more likely than another.”

Nonetheless, the mystery still prevails. The specimens do not help explain the cause of death. It could be due to kidnapping, manslaughter, or an accident, according to the lead prosecutor, Remy Avon.

The Disappearance of Emile Soleil

French toddler Emile Soleil was staying with his grandparents at their holiday home in Le Haut-Vernet in south-east France when he went missing. On July 8, two-and-a-half-year-old Emile was last seen in a yellow shirt and white shorts. He was spotted alone around 17:15, and then he went missing. His 58-year-old grandfather, Philippe Vedovini, was looking after him.

Le Haut-Vernet is a small village of around 125 residents. It is located 4,000 feet above the slopes of the Alpes-des-Haute-Provence mountain range.

Search for the Toddler – Emile Soleil’s Skull Was Discovered

Emile Soleil’s sudden and unexplained disappearance commenced widespread search operations within the vicinity.

Nine months after the search, a native female hiker spotted the child’s remains on the Alpine path. She found them one kilometer (25 minutes walk) from the village last week, around 12:00 and 14:00.

“She was disturbed by this discovery and placed [the skull] in a plastic bag. She went home and called the police. She was able to pinpoint exactly where she found [the skull],” the French prosecutor narrated the incident from the woman’s point of view.

The French intensified the search operation, deploying sniffer dogs, French police, firefighters, and soldiers to hunt the area.

“This heartbreaking news was feared, and the time has come for mourning, contemplation and prayer,” the deceased child’s parents released this statement after the remains were found. Parents Marie and Colombian Soleil released the statement through their lawyer, Jerome Triomphe.

Related: How Did Chance Perdomo Die? Cause of Death Explored

Analysis of the Remains

The remains were handed to the forensic teams. They quickly confirmed that the DNA matched Emile Soleil’s through genetic testing. Forensic investigators are continuing to analyze the bones to find a cause of death, according to Triomphe.

Moreover, in a statement released by Jean-Luc Blanchon on Tuesday, the boy the boy’s remains showed signs of post-mortem injuries. The skull had minor fractures and cracks that underwent post-mortem analysis. The marks on the specimen were caused by bites from one or more wild animals.

“No trauma has been observed [on the skull] ante-mortem,” he said.

Furthermore, he empathized that the skull had not been buried.

Additionally, a spokeswoman for France’s gendarmerie (military police) said that bones could’ve been moved away by people, animals, or due to changes in the weather conditions.

Le Vernet’s mayor, François Balique, also spoke up about the mysterious case. He said that the human remains were found between the Church and Chapel of the village, an area that the gendarmes had thoroughly searched.

‘I can’t help but believe that an adult is involved in this matter. Émile would never have gone alone to where he was found,’ he added.

National gendarmerie spokesperson Marie-Laure Pezant said they will be taking anthropologists ‘specialists in soil analysis’ to the area where the partial remains were found. She also hinted that there is a possibility that the bones were brought back to the area.

As of yet, the investigating team has only been able to find Emile Soleil’s skull and clothing; the rest of the remains are still undiscovered.