Show Notes
In 1995, 8-year-olds Melissa Russo and Julie Lejeune disappeared while playing in their neighbourhood in the south of Belgium. The following month, 17-year-old An Marchal and her 19-year-old friend Eefje Lambrecks disappeared on the north coast of the country while on a holiday with friends. There had been no sign of any of the girls, and their anguished families were without any answers. In mid-1996, 12-year-old Sabine Dardenne and 14-year-old Laetitia Delhez were abducted a month apart. Thanks to observant members of the public, police arrested unemployed electrician Marc Dutroux, his wife Michelle, and their accomplice Michel Lelievre for the abduction of Sabine. Unbeknownst to the Belgian public, Marc had already been convicted of raping 5 young women in the 1980s and had served prison time - but had been released well before the end of his sentence.
Free to wander the street and do as he pleased, Marc took up where he’d left off. But this time, he made sure that at least 4 of his victims wouldn’t live to tell the tale.
In 1996, with Marc, Michelle and Lelievre in custody, it was only then that 40 year old Marc revealed to police that he was also holding Laetitia captive. She and Sabine had both been kept in a dungeon in the cellar of Marc’s home, where they were repeatedly raped, but were thankfully rescued by police soon after. But Melissa, Julie, An, and Eefje were still missing. What investigators were about to uncover was something that pushed Belgians to the verge of revolt against their government.
CW: suicide, sexual assault, child abuse, drug use, family violence
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Free to wander the street and do as he pleased, Marc took up where he’d left off. But this time, he made sure that at least 4 of his victims wouldn’t live to tell the tale.
In 1996, with Marc, Michelle and Lelievre in custody, it was only then that 40 year old Marc revealed to police that he was also holding Laetitia captive. She and Sabine had both been kept in a dungeon in the cellar of Marc’s home, where they were repeatedly raped, but were thankfully rescued by police soon after. But Melissa, Julie, An, and Eefje were still missing. What investigators were about to uncover was something that pushed Belgians to the verge of revolt against their government.
CW: suicide, sexual assault, child abuse, drug use, family violence
Episode Sponsor:
- Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to Rocketmoney.com/obscura
Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Chime: https://chime.com/OBSCURA
* Check out Mood and use my code OBSCURA for a great deal: https://mood.com
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/OBSCURA
* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code OBSCURA20 for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.com
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/obscura-a-true-crime-podcast/exclusive-content
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Credits
Justin Drown — Host
Produced by Myths & Malice