A PRIEST connected to the family of Emile Soleil has allegedly died by suicide and left a chilling warning before the boy’s grandparents were arrested on Tuesday.
Another shocking twist has hit this case after Father Claude Gilliot, who baptised the two-year-old, reportedly left a suicide note.
AFPEmile Soleil was found dead[/caption]
Father Claude Gilliot, 85, has allegedly killed himself
GoffEmile’s granddad Philippe Vedovini has been arrested on suspicion of his murder[/caption]
The two-year-old vanished in 2023 from a holiday home in France.
Grandparents Philippe and Anne Vedovini, both 59, were arrested at dawn on Tuesday after police raided their home near Marseilles.
Father Gilliot’s alleged death has added another chilling twist to this mysterious case as the Roman Catholic priest had reportedly fallen out with Philippe and Anne.
The grandparents, along with Emile’s aunt and uncle, were arrested on Tuesday and charged with “intentional homicide” and “concealing a corpse”.
Father Gilliot was once extremely close with Philippe and Anne but their relationship recently turned sour.
The priest frequently expressed his emotional angst during the saga, and it emerged today that he allegedly “took his own life” last Saturday week at his home in Aix-en-Provence.
His cause of death was reportedly “a massive overdose”, according to an investigation source.
This death is particularly shocking as it is rare for Catholic priests to take their own lives because it is viewed as a mortal sin, on par with murder, in the church.
Father Gilliot also left an apparent suicide note behind with a chilling message.
The note reportedly said: “Warn my sister. Tell her I love her. Tell my brother-in-law, I love them.
“Love alone matters. Proclaim the Gospel. God is good and merciful, O sweet Jesus, gentle and humble of heart.”
The priest and the grandparents publicly fell out after Father Gilliot provided a photo of Emile to the media when he was missing, in an attempt to find him.
The Vedovini family boycotted the priest’s chapel, despite at one point relying on Father Gilliot for their spiritual guidance, including celebrating Mass and hearing Confessions.
Father Gilliot’s sister, Claudine Vandenbroucke, slammed Emile’s family after the priests apparent death.
She said: “I’m very angry with Émile’s family, because I think it all started with them.”
Emile disappeared on 8 July, 2023, after arriving at his grandparents’ isolated home in the French hamlet of Haut-Vernet.
The tragic boy’s parents, Marie and Colomban Soleil, were not at the holiday home with him but around six of his grandparents’ 10 children were.
His remains, including a fractured skull, were found by a walker nine months later around 25-minute away from the home.
Emile’s grandmother Anne Vedovini (wearing the yellow hat) was also arrested on TuesdayGoff
Philippe at Emiles funeral on February 8, 2025Goff
AFPEmile’s parents Marie (left) and Colomban (right) at his funeral[/caption]
Emile’s case has reignited this week after police arrested his grandparents and his aunt and uncle, according to French media.
Cops extended custody for all four family members on Wednesday after police launched a huge search of the grandparents’ luxurious farmhouse.
Two of Philippe’s cars were seized, which included a navy blue Hyundai and a horse trailer.
Philippe’s lawyer said the grandparents were “fully cooperating” with the investigation and both deny the charges put against them.
Police also revealed on Tuesday that the family’s phones were tapped for several months in the lead-up to the raid, according to Le Parisien.
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