AUXERRE — 1977 · Serial Murder
The Missing Young Women of the Yonne
Between 1975 and 1980 seven young women with mild intellectual disabilities, living in care institutions, disappeared in the Yonne department. Having no close relatives, they were assumed to have run away and their disappearances were long ignored. Local gendarme Christian Jambert wrote reports in 1981 pointing to a bus driver, but they were shelved; Jambert died in 1997. The families' campaign led to the case being reopened in the late 1990s. The suspect confessed in 2000 and led police to two bodies, then retracted. In November 2004 the Yonne assize court sentenced him to life for seven murders; the verdict was upheld on appeal in 2006 and by the Court of Cassation in 2007. The case became a major French scandal over institutional and judicial negligence.
- Date
- 1977
- Place
- Yonne, France, Auxerre, FR
- Category
- Serial Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 47.7980, 3.5670 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 1975–1980Seven young women disappeared in the Yonne.
- 1981Gendarme Christian Jambert's reports were ignored.
- December 2000The suspect confessed and led police to two bodies.
- November 2004He was sentenced to life for seven murders.
- 2007The Court of Cassation upheld the verdict.
Sources
- 20 Minutes — Emile Louis, le tueur en série de l'Yonne, est mort 20minutes.fr ↗
- Le Nouvel Obs — Une chronologie de l'affaire des disparues de l'Yonne tempsreel.nouvelobs.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Émile Louis en.wikipedia.org ↗
- 20 Minutes
- Le Nouvel Obs
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.