The Marc Dutroux Kidnappings

Between 1995 and 1996, Belgian career criminal Marc Dutroux kidnapped, sexually abused, and murdered several girls. Two victims, ages 8, were starved to death while he was briefly imprisoned for other offenses. Two surviving victims were rescued from a dungeon in his home in 1996. The case exposed catastrophic failures in the Belgian police and justice system, leading to the largest public protest in Belgian history and fundamental judicial reform. Dutroux was sentenced to life in prison in 2004.