The Vick family is reeling following the loss of their young daughter, Gracelyn Vick, who was found dead just hours after going missing.
On April 13, 2025, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office shared a devastating update following search-and-rescue efforts for six-year-old Gracelyn Vick, also known as Gracie.
County deputies had responded to a missing person’s report in the area of F Taylor Road and Saucier Farley Road. Gracelyn’s family stated that she went out to play in their front yard around 12 noon and disappeared shortly after.
A screengrab from a video news report about Gracelyn Vick. | Source: YouTube/WLOX News
She was last seen wearing a white shirt and pink shorts, with no shoes. The sheriff’s office began searching using ATV’s, a helicopter, and on foot with volunteers.
A screengrab from a video news report about Gracelyn Vick. | Source: YouTube/WLOX News
Acadian Medical, Harrison County Fire, and Gulf Coast Rescue were also on the scene. Unfortunately, at around 6 p.m., Gracelyn’s lifeless body was discovered near her family property.
Currently, no arrests have been made, and authorities have yet to rule out foul play. Gracelyn’s cause of death is also yet to be determined; however, an autopsy was performed on Monday (April 14, 2025) at the state lab in Biloxi.
Alongside the sheriff’s department, the Harrison County Coroner’s office is working to analyze the results, which will determine the direction of the investigation as it continues.
In addition to official authorities spreading the word about Gracelyn, her aunt Jackie Polk has also been vocal about her case.
“MY NIECE IS MISSING PLEASE HELP FIND HER LAST SEEN AT 16040 F Taylor Rd. Saucier MS about 2 hours ago. Gracelynn Vick 6 years old. Last seen wearing Pink shorts and white top with flowers,” she urged on Facebook hours before Gracelyn was found.
“Anybody with wildlife cameras, ring cameras, security cameras on Saucier Fairley Road F Taylor Road Blackwell Farm Road please save your data. Save it. We may need it for my niece. Any video from today!!!!” she continued.
Following the devastating end of the search efforts, Jackie expressed her gratitude for all those who showed concern and lent a helping hand during her family’s time of need.
“Thank you to all of the first responders and search teams that showed up for Gracie @ Gracelynn Heritage Farms. We are overwhelmed with your love and concern for our family at this time,” she wrote.
Gracelynn Heritage Farms is a farm run by Gracelyn’s mother. “Please continue to pray for us. We have a long road ahead of us,” Jackie concluded.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be the last time Jackie addresses the public about Gracelyn’s case. “People are getting on all platforms of social media and saying horrible things about my family. A lot of accusations & assumptions have been made,” she began.
She continued, explaining that she and her family were incredibly traumatized and trying to keep themselves together as they navigate “another horrible thing.”
“We are aware of all of the wild narratives and some of us have even assumed in a moment things we should not have. The human mind is [trying] to come to some level of rationale. That is impossible amid trauma,” she said, adding that “investigators are working diligently to find all the possible answers.”
Jackie also leans on her faith during this trying time. “Please know that God is on the scene, because His word is true and He is faithful to get us through this,” she stated, concluding that her family will know more later this week.
Veteran and journalist E Brian Rose, who closely followed Gracelyn’s case and was among those spreading the word about her disappearance, shared an emotional post since she was found dead.
“I had been gathering information all afternoon in hopes of writing a news story with a happy ending. It has been very emotional speaking with those close and collecting pictures of Gracie. I started to feel like I knew her and was very optimistic this would be a happy story ending,” he wrote.
“I have a daughter close to Gracie’s age and I, like many of you, am not ok right now. Please keep her loved ones in your thoughts and prayers as they face this unimaginable loss. Rest in peace, Gracie,” he concluded.
Sadly, Gracelyn’s demise is one of many. Just weeks ago, a shocking turn in a nearly two-year mystery led to multiple arrests as investigators pieced together what happened to a little boy in the French Alps, whose disappearance gripped the nation.
Authorities took four people into custody as part of an ongoing investigation into the death of 2-year-old Émile Soleil, who went missing in the summer of 2023, sparking a buzz online. His remains were discovered in the spring of 2024 near his grandparents’ home in Haut-Vernet, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France.
According to a statement from the Aix-en-Provence public prosecutor, Émile’s grandparents, Anne and Philippe Vedovini, along with two of their adult children, were arrested early Tuesday morning (March 25, 2025), at their residence in La Bouilladisse, Bouches-du-Rhône. They are being held on suspicion of “intentional homicide” and “concealing a corpse.”
The prosecutor’s statement explained that these detentions are part of an effort to verify and compare evidence collected over the past several months. No formal charges have been filed at this stage, and those in custody remain presumed innocent.
The Vedovinis’ lawyer, Isabelle Colombani, confirmed the arrests. “I have no comment to make; I just found out,” she added.
Émile was reported missing by his relatives in Haut-Vernet on July 8, 2023. His parents were reportedly absent on the day of his disappearance. Nearly nine months later, on March 30, 2024, a hiker discovered his remains less than two kilometers from his family’s hamlet. He was laid to rest in February 2025 in La Bouilladisse, where his grandparents reside.
The case has sparked strong reactions on social media, with many expressing shock and sorrow over the developments. One commenter wrote, “I can’t imagine a grandparent doing that to their boy.” Another questioned the length of the investigation, “It’s taken them almost 3 years on this!?”
Some welcomed the arrests, with one person stating, “About time!” and another adding, “Always thought there was more to this! RIP little one xx hope your parents get justice for what those monsters did [sic].”
Concerns about negligence were also raised, with one comment reading, “Even if he had just wandered off, there should have been charges. He was two years old, so that’s some serious negligence.”
Expressions of grief were widespread. “Oh my goodness how his parents must be feeling, to lose a child and then your parents are to blame this is just awful. This poor child and what he must have endured. What is wrong with people [sic].”
Others struggled to comprehend the tragedy. “How could anyone hurt a sweet beautiful child as this [sic],” one person wrote, while another commented, “Unbelievable that the Grandparents may well be involved, Rest in Peace Emile, precious little Soul.xx [sic].”
As authorities intensified their investigation, new details had surfaced about Émile’s grandfather, Philippe Vedovini. Years before his grandson’s disappearance, he had been questioned over allegations of violence and sexual assault at a private school where he served as a scout leader in the 1990s.
While police initially considered his involvement in Émile’s death as just one of many possibilities, recent developments had shifted the focus.
Philippe’s lawyer, Isabelle Colombani, responded to his detention, “Perhaps what is happening is not what we had expected.” However, she emphasized that “being placed in police custody means nothing.”
Meanwhile, Anne Vedovini’s lawyer, Julien Pinelli, stated that she fully cooperated with authorities to pursue “the truth about this tragedy.” He added, “And if this measure is necessary to find the truth, of course, she will submit to it.”
On the day of the arrests, police executed a search warrant at the couple’s farmhouse in La Bouilladisse. Officers seized an SUV and a horse trailer as part of their investigation.
A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, described the couple as quiet but noted that they had been under significant pressure in recent years. “They have lived in a reclusive manner,” he said, adding that he witnessed authorities detain the grandparents at around 7 a.m.
The case took a dramatic turn on March 30, 2024, when a hiker stumbled upon a skull and teeth along an isolated forest path roughly 1.7 kilometers from Haut-Vernet. Authorities quickly confirmed the remains belonged to Émile through DNA testing. However, the cause of his death remained unclear.
Days later, investigators located several pieces of Émile’s clothing scattered about 150 meters from where his remains had been found. His yellow T-shirt, white shorts, and tiny shoes, last seen on him the day he disappeared, were discovered near a stream.
These findings raised new questions about how his body ended up there and why search teams had failed to locate any evidence during previous extensive operations.
Jean-Luc Blanchon, the public prosecutor overseeing the case, explained that while the child’s skull exhibited small fractures and cracks, there were no signs of trauma before death.
The fractures, along with animal bite marks, were determined to have occurred post-mortem. He stated, “These bones by themselves do not allow us to say what the cause of Émile’s death is. Between a fall, manslaughter, or murder, no theory can be treated as more likely than another.”
Despite months of search efforts involving police, sniffer dogs, soldiers, and firefighters, no other remains were recovered. Investigators remained uncertain whether Émile’s body was originally present in the search area or if it was moved later — either by a person, an animal, or shifting environmental conditions.
Nearly a year after the discovery of Émile’s remains, around 400 mourners gathered at the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine on February 8, 2025, to pay their final respects. The medieval cathedral, home to relics of Mary Magdalene, became the setting for a solemn farewell to the little boy whose disappearance had gripped France.
Émile’s parents, Marie and Colomban Soleil, attended the private funeral ceremony, which was closed to journalists. A pallbearer carried a small white coffin into the basilica as Émile’s father looked on. Later that afternoon, the child was laid to rest in La Bouilladisse, where his parents live.
The case continues to raise troubling uncertainties. With key suspects in custody, investigators are working to determine what truly happened to Émile Soleil. While the arrests mark a significant development, authorities have yet to uncover the full truth behind his disappearance and death.
