©Jill Dimond via Unsplash
Frenchman Émile Louis murdered and buried at least seven vulnerable young women in the 1970s. Earlier this week, however, excavations began once again in northern France. Police and prosecutors hope to find the remains of his victims after all these years.
Émile Louis was one of the most notorious French serial killers of the 20th century. The former bus driver was convicted of murdering seven young women in the Yonne region of Burgundy. He chose his victims carefully. They were always women who were vulnerable and disabled. All stayed in a center for people with mental disabilities. Louis was only unmasked as the murderer years later.
The case did not really come to light for years. Among other things, Louis worked as a bus driver in the social sector, which gave him contact with some of the victims and kept suspicions at bay for a long time. This kept him out of harm's way for a long time, but over time all evidence pointed in his direction. He remained at large for no less than 20 years. He finally confessed to the murders in 2000, but later retracted that confession. In 2004, he received a life sentence, while other serious crimes, including the rape and torture of his second wife, were also charged against him.
The affair grew into a major French judicial scandal as police and prosecutors failed to investigate the disappearances decisively enough for years. Louis died in 2013 in a secured hospital while serving his sentence.
The man reportedly had his own cemetery where he buried seven of his victims. Police and prosecutors do not yet know exactly where that cemetery is located. This week, investigators began digging in various locations throughout France.
When he was still alive, he pointed to a spot, where police found the remains of two of his victims, as well as a pile of women's clothing. Where the other victims are buried and how many people he actually killed, no one knows for sure.
©Jill Dimond via Unsplash - illustration image of a cemetery