New excavations began on Tuesday, September 24 in a wood in the Yonne, near Auxerre, where Several victims of serial killer Émile Louis had been buriedaccording to France 3 Bourgogne.
The objective of the excavations
Investigators are looking to find the remains of Marie-Jeanne Ambroisine Coussina mother of ten children who disappeared in 1975. These searches were initiated following the discovery of his skull in December 2018 in the Rouvray woods, near Auxerre, a site where several victims of serial killer Émile Louis were buried.
They also hope discover other bodies potentially linked to the crimes of Émile Louisconvicted for the murder of seven young women.
Who are the victims being sought?
Among the known victims, Five bodies still missing. They were mainly young women aged 15 to 27, who disappeared between 1975 and 1979 in the Auxerre region :
- Françoise Lemoine (27 years old): disappeared in March 1975
- Christine Marlot (15 years old): disappeared on January 23, 1977
- Chantal Gras (18 years old): disappeared on April 21, 1977
- Bernadette Lemoine (19 years old): disappeared in March 1978 (Françoise Lemoine’s sister)
- Martine Renault (16 years old): disappeared in September 1979
“It’s a lack of respect for families”
Marie-Jeanne’s family lawyer, Didier Seban, expressed his support for this new campaign of searches: “I am delighted that this research is being organised, six years after the discovery of his skull.“, he told our colleagues at France 3.
However, he also expressed his dissatisfaction, not having been warned of the relaunch of the investigation. “The prosecutor of Auxerre had undertaken to keep me informed of the excavationsbut that didn’t happen,” he said in frustration.“It’s a lack of respect for families,” he told the regional channel.
“The cemetery of Émile Louis”
The current excavations are focusing on a difficult-to-access area, made even more gloomy by its nickname: “Emile Louis cemetery“. 140 gendarmes and soldiersincluding specialists from the National Gendarmerie Criminal Research Institute (IRCGN), were mobilized for this new excavation campaignwhich is expected to last until October 4, reports The Dispatch.
This place is not the first indicated by the killerwho had also pointed to another nearby wood, where some victims had been found in previous years.
