Francois Balique, 75, is the mayor of Vernet (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) The bones of Émile Soleil, missing since July 8, 2023, were found by a local hiker. Balique is one of those who, until the end, wanted to believe that the child with the dandelion behind his ear was not dead.
“I harbored this secret hope deep within myself,” he confides in a calm voice but full of desolation.