Dutroux victims 'buried alive'

10 March 2004

BRUSSELS – Two of the girls suspected child murderer Marc Dutroux is alleged to have killed were buried alive, the senior investigating magistrate working on the Dutroux case said on Wednesday.

Speaking at Dutroux’s trail, which is being held in the Belgian city of Arlon, investigating magistrate Jacques Langlois said there was no reason to doubt that 17-year-old An Marchal and Eefje Lambreckx, 19, had been alive when they were drugged, bound, gagged then buried.

Before making his statements Langlois warned the parents of the two dead girls that his testimony would be “painful” for them.

The investigating magistrate told the court how the bodies of the two girls had been found buried in an outbuilding belonging to Dutroux’s accomplice Bernard Weinstien.

An was discovered with a gag in her mouth and a plastic bag over her head that had been sealed around the neck with adhesive tape, the investigating magistrate said. Her hands had been bound with the same tape, he added.

Langlois said that forensic scientists believed she was alive when she was buried and that she had most probably died from suffocation.

Scientists had also not ruled out the possibility that Eefje had also died from suffocation, the prosecutor added.

The bodies of both girls seemed very under-nourished, Langlois continued.

Langlois’ statements back up the testimony given by Dutroux’s former wife last week, who also said the two girls had been buried alive.

Martin told the court that Dutroux had confessed to her that he had killed the two girls because he could no longer hide them at his house.

Langlois confirmed on Wednesday that she had also told him the same story when he questioned her during his investigations.

He added that Dutroux’s wife had also told him that the two girls did not know they were going to be killed until the last minute. Martin said Dutroux told her that An and Eefje thought they were going to be set free. It was only when they saw the hole that had been dug for them that one of them said “but we’re going to die”, Martin said her former husband had told her.

Dutroux said last week he did not kill the two girls and blamed Weinstein and Michel Lelievre, another former accomplice who is now being tried alongside him, for the murder.

Weinstein was himself murdered after An and Eefje were killed, allegedly by Dutroux although he denies the allegation.

Dutroux is charged with kidnapping six girls and murdering four of them – An, Eefje, Julie Lejeune and Melissa Russo.

Two girls, Sabine Dardenne and Laetitia Delhez, were freed alive from a secret cell at one of Dutroux’s properties.

Delhez was in court on Wednesday to hear Langlois’ testimony.

The trial continues

Subject: Belgian news

Dutroux victims ‘buried alive’