After 39 years of investigation, the Brabant killings case is about to be closed. 28 dead, a file of a million pages and still no culprit. This Friday, the families of the victims are invited to an information session.
For 39 years, Patricia Finné has been trying to find out who murdered her father in 1985 in Overijse and why. She refuses to believe that the search can be stopped.
“That’s something we can’t admit. They still killed kids and should we drop the investigation? No, I don’t agree at all”.
Lionel Ruth was one of the heads of investigation. He spent 25 years of his career searching for killers. The prospect of closing the case sounds like a failure.
“I will simply say that I am very sad because if we had to stop with a statement of failure, it would be a failure for everyone. We all have a responsibility. It is a decision that may seem logical but I wonder if everything has been done to arrive at a final answer.”.
On May 13, Patricia Finné received a laconic letter from the investigating judge. She invites the victims to an information session and tells them that she has forwarded her file to the public prosecutor’s office. In other words, that all investigative duties were carried out without success.
20 years of ghost hunting is even more than 20 years now. Isn’t it time to call it a day? “But I think that until we find it, we shouldn’t stop. Medical research is the same thing. They search until they find it.”pointe Patricia.
The file contains almost a million pages. Five investigating judges followed one another. Two parliamentary commissions of inquiry analyzed the leads. In vain.
Even the reward offered by Delhaize was never claimed.
For the head of investigation, the causes of the failure go back to the first fact in 82 and 83. “It was very fragmented and we didn’t all work in the same way. But when the prosecutions were divested, we only recovered the investigation files and not what I call the core of the investigators, which is still very important in unresolved cases”.
Recently, the limitation period was removed for this type of case. But where else to look?
“Someone once told me that there is no perfect crime, there are only bad investigators.”said Patricia. “I believe that if there was something to do, it would still be to let the profiling be done on the facts of 85 to have a complete work, to listen to what profiling is, but at least to have this idea that everything is considered”believes the former head of investigation.
Both still want to believe that the truth will emerge, perhaps one day. “My wildest dream is to one day meet one of the authors face to face.”lance Patricia.
“In my heart of hearts, I still dream that we find him”also confides the former head of investigation.
This Friday, an essential page in Belgian judicial history will undoubtedly be turned, without us having the final word.
Brabant killers killings News item
