A Roman Catholic priest who baptised a French toddler who would go on to be murdered has taken his own life, according to reports.

Father Claude Gilliot was found dead at his home in Aix-en-Provence, southern France, last week, Paris Match reported.

The 85-year-old was reportedly close to the family of Emile Soleil, the two-year-old who was found dead nine months after he went missing from the alpine village of Le Haut-Vernet in July 2023.

The priest fell out with the boy’s family after sharing a picture of Emile with the media during a police search.

A source told Paris Match that his cause of death was a “massive overdose”.

Emile’s death remains unexplained. Philippe and Anne Vedovini, his 59-year-old grandparents, were arrested on Tuesday along with two of their adult children.