Estelle's father's anger.

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In his book, Eric Mouzin evokes all the years when he moved Heaven and earth trying to find his daughter.

In a book he gives testimony to his life since he has had no news of his daughter. And he talks of his sadness when the investigators suspected him.

The book starts with a disconcerting sentence: "I am not the one who abducted Estelle." This is how Eric Mouzin, father of this little nine-year-old girl, who mysteriously disappeared eight years ago in Germantes (Seine-et-Marne) begins his story. The book also ends in an unexpected way on a message addressed to his child's abductor. A call for him to return Estelle, who was abducted on January 9th 2003.

Between that odd beginning and that heartrending ending, Eric Mouzin opens up for the first time. In nearly two hundred pages* which reads uninterruptedly, he witnesses to what it is to be the father of a missing child. A multi-faceted status: first of all that of being a suspect. During the investigation, the first people to be suspected are those close to the victim. But for Eric Mouzin, a great many elements accumulated against him.

First of all, the divorce and the disagreements with his ex-wife, who threw at him one day: "Look me in the eye and tell me that it wasn't you who abducted Estelle." Inevitably, the investigators had envisaged a familial abduction by this father who was separated from his daughter. "Today, are they truly convinced of my innocence?" he still wonders.

Then there was the E-fit sketch of a possible abductor, distributed during the investigation, and which presented troubling similarities to him. Finally, his character played against him. "I was the block of marble," he says. Eric Mouzin never cried before the cameras, always adopted a cold distance and analysed situations tactlessly, as he does in the book. Politicians, officials, the media are, what's more, not described here in their best light.

Finally, being the father of a missing child is to be also a victim, a sad role which nowadays stops him laughing in front of others at the risk of getting funny looks.

Eric Mouzin also sweeps aside all the years in which he moved Heaven and earth in an attempt to find his daughter. Knocking on the doors of ministers, approaching celebrities and going abroad to see how authorities in those countries deal with saving these young victims. In vain. This overwhelmed and angry father also states that all the research has still not been conducted around Michel Fourniret, suspected of having possibly abducted his child.

Estelle is also evoked. With decency. Through short paragraphs that say much more about her than long outpourings. "Very soon Estelle will have spent more time missing than living," writes Eric Mouzin, who, this January 9th, will spend some moments in silence in Germantes. As every year for eight years.

* Retrouver Estelle published by Stock.

Le Figaro 7/01/11

Related posts

Estelle Mouzin

Michel Fourniret

Eight years after Estelle's disappearance, her father recounts his struggle

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Estelle Mouzin: left at age 9 when she disappeared and right in an age-advanced image, released in January 2010

MEAUX - Eight years after Estelle Mouzin's disappearance in Germantes in Seine-et-Marne, her father, Eric Mouzin, launches an "appeal to the abductors," in a book to appear on Wednesday (January 5th) with the hope "that the investigation is successful," at last.

"Retrouver Estelle," starts with this sentence: "I am not the one who abducted Estelle." Eric Mouzin explains wanting to, "clear up that phase when the investigators were suspicious," and "the idiotic comments that followed the distribution of the E-Fit sketch," which resembled him.

The little girl disappeared on the way home from school. She was nine years old. "Very soon, Estelle will have been missing for longer than she was alive," her father states bitterly in an interview with AFP.

"With this book, I want to make people aware of the difficulties faced by families of missing children," so that "the lessons learned may be useful to the greatest number of people," explains Eric Mouzin.

With this book, Eric Mouzin considers "having come to the final stage," "because we are certainly reaching the stage where we will know if the investigation is going to succeed or not," he continues.

This 54 year old family man, who says, "he has struggled for 8 years for the search for the truth to continue," also hopes that, "this investigation serves to improve the strategies," of the search.

"It's good that the Abduction Alert exists but it needs to be improved," and, "I call for the creation of a plan that is better known to the general public than that which currently exists," states Mr Mouzin.

At the end of the book "as an appendix," Eric Mouzin launches an "appeal to the abductor." "I am trying to use all means for the investigation to succeed," and, "if this books brings us leads, then the objective will be doubly accomplished," assures Mr Mouzin.

Last May, Estelle's family's lawyer asked the police to have three samples analysed, pieces of white laces and black gloves, provided by the Belgian authorities after the arrest of Michel Fourniret, who was sentenced to life in prison in May 2008 for the murders of seven young girls between 1987 and 2001.

On the day of her disappearance, on January 9th 2003, Estelle Mouzin was wearing white boots with long white laces, and black gloves were mentioned in the missing poster for the little girl. Interrogated after his arrest in June 2003, following an attempted abduction, Michel Fourniret had insisted that he was in Belgium on the day of Estelle's disappearance.

"For the moment, we don't have a timetable for the elements that have been requested," "We can't go on wasting time like this because every month that passes complicates the usefulness of the elements that could be examined in more detail," Mr Mouzin complains. At the same time, he explains that he doesn't want to be "preaching," and he's "not in the business of settling a score," with this book.

In January 2010, the police had launched a new appeal for witnesses attached to a photo of the little girl age-advanced as a teenager. That did not result in any useful leads.

As every year, in memory of the missing child, a public meeting , organised by L'Association Estelle, followed by a march will take place on Saturday (8th January) in Germantes (Seine-et-Marne), starting at 2pm in Marcel-Proust Place.

Google News item (AFP)

A silent march for Estelle Mouzin

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Family and friends marched in silent tribute to Estelle, who has been missing for eight years.

A hundred or so people got together this Saturday, January 8th, at the Place du Temps Perdu in Germantes (Seine-et-Marne) as a tribute to little Estelle, who disappeared eight years ago. "She would have been in my class and taken her bac this year," Laetitia, her best childhood friend, recounted in a trembling voice. Her eyes moist, the teenager confided: "The hardest part is going back to the place where she disappeared without knowing if I will ever see her again."

It's Eric Mouzin, Estelle's father, who leads off the silent march with his other two children, Arthur and Lucie, at his side. With heads lowered and averted gaze, the family carry the banner, "Help us to find her." Traumatised by her daughter's disappearance, Estelle's mother, who moved to South Africa several years ago, is not present. The rest of the procession is made up of family friends and relatives, residents of the village, children and friends.

"When we were kids, we loved to shut ourselves away in Estelle's shed, where we would play for hours," remembers Keiran, a childhood friend. The young man describes, "a lively, happy and creative child." "Even if she was upset by her parents' divorce, she would never have run away," he adds. Members of Estelle's family, her father in particular, have always refused to accept the runaway theory.

Eric Mouzin, a reserved man of few words, calmly lists, "the failings of the legal system and the weaknesses of the investigation which never turned up anything concrete." For a long time accused in the disappearance of his daughter, he continues to protest his innocence, notably in a book, "Retrouver Estelle." And he repeats his aim, "to fight to the end to find the truth."

Shortly before 5pm, the march reaches its destination and the procession reassembles around a Japanese cherry tree, planted at the place where the little girl was seen by a friend for the very last time. "I hope she'll be with us next year," confides Estelle's Godfather. Then, the piece of music written specially for Estelle starts up. Everyone is quiet. A bouquet of flowers is laid and the crowd begins to disperse.

L'Express,fr 9/01/11

Estelle, Maddie, Antoine and the others

Georges Moréas Police Etcetera 18/01/09

The information in the press about a new lead in the investigation into the disappearance of little Estelle Mouzin, even before the facts are verified, interests a great many people. Some have reacted violently on the sites of the journalists who have related the information. Thus in Libération, we can read: "That article risks being Estelle's death sentence - Well done the telly and the newspapers! Whether this girl is Estelle or not you are signing her death warrant in publishing that photo - What a lack of professionalism! It's shameful."

Or again in Le Monde: "If she is still alive, this information is scandelous...I'm stunned by the irresponsibility of AFP for producing the news item about it."

(* Le Figaro)

As for Estelle's father, he was astonished that journalists were aware before the investigative measures were implemented. Adding, however: "This confirms the ongoing investigation and the ideas held by the new Versailles PJ director, during the annual conference of the Estelle Association on January 10th in Guermantes." In fact, commissioner Philippe Bugeaud, at that time, referred to the thousands of statements still in the process of being checked and also "millions and millions of telephone checks" (In the days that followed the child's disappearance, all communication exchanges in the area were looked at - Something never done before).

Remember, Estelle was abducted on January 9th 2003 (Read here) on her way home from school in Guermantes, in Seine-et-Marne. I don't think an investigation has ever put so many resources into operation. Alas, without success until now.

On May 3rd 2007, in the south of Portugal, it was a little English girl aged 4 years, Madeleine McCann, called Maddie, who disappeared from her bedroom while her parents were at a restaurant. In the months that followed, the investigators assembled a stack of suspicions against the parents, in a tense atmosphere between Great Britain and Portugal. So much so that the police officer heading the investigation finally slammed the door. (Read here) The parents were let off the hook and the case archived. Now, it is private detectives who are continuing the investigation and a reward of 2.5 million pounds is offered to, "anyone who gives information that contributes to finding Madeleine alive and returning her safely to Rothley in the Leicestershire area."

On September 11th 2008, little Antoine, aged 6 and a half years, disappeared from the family home in Issoire, in Puy-de-Dôme, while his mother and her partner were at a restaurant a few hundred metres away. Both have a previous record and the investigators are focusing their investigation on them. (Read here) Sébastien, the mother's partner, is in prison on a criminal charge and the mother, Alexandrine, aged 23, is the object of permanent surveillance. At time of writing, she is on extended remand for driving without a licence. She denies this. Following this arrest, Le Figaro outdid itself with an article whose very title makes my hair stand on end: "Antoine's disappearance: the noose tightens around the mother."

This young mother is, undoubtedly, a drop-out, which doesn't make this child-killing or an outlet for the press.

She may be guilty, but if there is the least proof against her, she will spend a long time in prison.

Thousands of people disappear every year, men, women, children. Most of them are found, but for one or two children, there is no news. You can imagine the parents' anguish.

Three missing children:

- Estelle: five years later, the investigators are still active.

- Maddie: private investigators and money, lots of money.

- Antoine...

(* )Le Figaro 17/01/09)

The Parisien reveals that investigators have discovered the photograph of a teenager resembling the young girl, who disappeared in Guermantes in 2003, on an Estonian pornography site. Police officers are going to Estonia.

If Estelle Mouzin, that little ten year-old girl who disappeared six years ago from her village of Guermantes, is still alive, is she being held in Estonia? French police officers are to go to that Baltic state very soon, reveals the Parisien. Alerted by an internet user, investigators discovered on a pornographic site, hosted in the United States, but created in Estonia, the photograph of a naked teeenager who resembles Estelle in a way that is troubling. "The internet user who contacted us saw this face and immediately made the connection with the young Estelle Mouzin," someone close to the case revealed to the daily newspaper.

The first work on the photo from the site surprised the police officers. On a computer, they superimposed images of Estelle on the photo of the teenager and observed that the facial proportions seemed to correspond to those of the young schoolgirl, who disappeared on January 9th 2003 on the way between her school and her home. The Central Directorate of the PJ, (DCPJ) placed the paedophile site under surveillance. Sophie Combes, the investigating judge in charge of the case, sent two international rogatory letters. The police are going to interrogate the site's creators to try to find out more about the identities of the teenagers presented.

As Fourniret goes to prison for the rest of his life, I honour Céline, Elisabeth, Estelle, Fabienne, Isabelle, Jeanne-Marie, Joanna, Mananya, Natacha

The Fourniret verdict is in:
Fourniret: 30 years before being considered for parole. (The most severe sentence allowed in French law.)
Olivier: 28 years before being considered for parole.

Sky News

BBC News

Today, as the Fourniret trial ends, I ask you to remember these nine beautiful young women, whose lives were tragically cut short. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of these young people. May they come to know some degree of closure and peace in their lives.

Association Estelle

On January 9th 2003, at around 18.00, Estelle Mouzin, a little girl aged 9, disappeared in Guermantes, in Seine-et-Marne, on her way home from school. Since that date there has been no news of her. The, "Association Estelle," was created to provide support to her parents and to enable her to find her family and her freedom.

Estelle's family refuses to accept the inevitable. They are determined to do everything they can, for as long as it takes, to find Estelle.

For more information, please visit the official web site of the Estelle Association.

http://www.association-estelle.org/

There is also a great deal of information on the search for Estelle on the Enfants Kidnappés web site:

http://www.kidnapping.be/estelle/index.html

So many missing children. Little Estelle was just walking home from school, something that nine year-old children do every day during school terms, all over the world. Nine years of age is too grown-up to have mummy or daddy hold a hand on the way home; a nine year-old wants to walk home by herself. Those of us who have had children will know this.

I am trying to imagine what it must be like to wave goodbye in the morning as your child goes off to school, then to wait for her to come home when she should....and to wait...and wait....and wait...and the child does not come. I know that sense of relief when a child comes home, 20 minutes later than usual, saying she stopped at the shop, or she played a game with a friend. What must it be like when that relief does not come? When the child does not come home? I can only begin to imagine the fear and the terrible anxiety and my heart goes out to the family of Estelle Mouzin and all other families, who do not know what has happened to a child who has gone missing.

Estelle Mouzin: the Belgian police re-opens the case.

La Belgique rouvre le dossier.

Enfants Kidnappés

"La justice belge a rouvert une enquête pour réexaminer la piste incriminant le tueur en série présumé Michel Fourniret dans le dossier de la disparition d'Estelle Mouzin, à Guermantes (Seine-et-Marne) le 9 janvier 2003."

"Selon le quotidien Le Soir, le parquet de Dinant va revoir les circonstances de l'appel téléphonique passé au moment de cette disparition du domicile belge de Fourniret, et qui le disculpe aux yeux de la justice française. Il avait été soupçonné après son arrestation en 2003 car il possède une camionnette blanche comme celle qui a été signalée près des lieux de la disparition d'Estelle Mouzin. Une photo de presse de la fillette a été retrouvée sur son ordinateur."

Belgium re-opens the case

The Belgian police has re-opened an enquiry to re-examine the incriminating trail of the alleged serial killer, Michel Fourniret, in the case of the disappearance of Estelle Mouzin in Guermantes (Seine-et-Marne) on January 9th 2003.

According to the daily newspaper, Le Soir, Dinant's public prosecutor is going to review the circumstances of the telephone call made at the time of that disappearance from Fourniret's Belgian home, which exonerates him in the eyes of the French police. He had been under suspicion after his arrest in 2003 because he owns a white van like the one which was reported near the scene of Estelle Mouzin's disappearance. A press photo of the little girl was found on his computer,

"Michel Fourniret nie toute implication dans ces faits et la police française l'a mis hors de cause, car un appel au fils de Fourniret, Christian, qui fêtait le 9 janvier 2003 son anniversaire, a été passé peu après 20h00 le jour de la disparition d'Estelle Mouzin, du domicile que les Fourniret avaient alors en Belgique, à Sart-Custinne. La fillette ayant disparu vers 18h00, la police française juge que Fourniret ne pouvait être présent à ce moment à Guermantes, éloignée de 276 km de Sart-Custinne. Pourtant, le fils de Michel Fourniret ne se souvient pas de l'appel et ne peut donc dire qui l'a passé. Les enquêteurs belges souhaitent donc s'assurer que le tueur en série présumé n'a pas utilisé un stratagème pour se construire un alibi."

Michel Fourniret denies all involvement in these events and the French police has ruled him out of the picture, because a call to Fourniret's son, Christian, celebrating his birthday on 9th January, was made a little after 20.00 on the day of Estelle Mouzin's disappearance, from the home which the Fournirets had at that time in Belgium, in Sart-Custinne. The little girl having disappeared around 18.00, the French police considers that Fourniret could not have been in Guernantes, 276km distant from Sart-Custinne, at that time. However, Michel Fourniret's son has no recollection of the call and therefore cannot say that it happened. The Belgian investigators wish to ensure that the alleged serial killer has not used a ploy to construct an alibi for himself.

"Pareille hypothèse est écartée par le parquet de Meaux (Seine-et-Marne)."

"Le juge d'instruction chargé de l'information relative à l'enlèvement d'Estelle Mouzin a mené avec les autorités belges "diverses investigations portant sur la possibilité d'une déviation de l'appel téléphonique" enregistré comme ayant été passé du domicile de Michel Fourniret, écrit dans un communiqué le procureur de la République de la ville, René Pech. "En l'état actuel des investigations auxquelles il a été ainsi procédé, celles-ci n'ont pas permis de corroborer l'hypothèse de l'existence d'un tel renvoi d'appel", dit-il. L'affaire Estelle Mouzin est remontée jusqu'au sommet de l'Etat, le président Nicolas Sarkozy ayant promis à ses parents que tout serait mis en oeuvre pour faire la lumière. Des centaines d'interrogatoires et des investigations tous azimuts n'ont pas permis aux policiers de trouver la moindre piste dans cette affaire. En février dernier, ils ont détruit partiellement dans cette procédure un restaurant chinois des environs de Guermantes, à la recherche d'un corps de fillette qu'une rumeur, infondée, disait enterré sur les lieux. (L'Express)"

Such a hypothesis is rejected by the public prosecutor of Meaux (Seine-et-Marne)

The investigating judge in charge of information relating to Estelle Mouzin's abduction has led, with the Belgian authorities, "various investigations to do with the possibility of the telephone call being diverted," recorded as having been made from Michel Fourniret's home, René Pech the public prosecutor of the city, wrote in a press release. "In the current state of the investigations into how it was carried out, these have not led the police to be able to substantiate the existence of such call-forwarding," he said. The Estelle Mouzin case has gone to the top of the state, the president Nicolas Sarkozy, having promised the parents that every effort would be made to shed light. Hundreds of interrogations and full-scale investigations have not allowed the police to find the smallest lead in this case. Last February, in this operation, they partially destroyed a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of Guermantes in the search for the body of a young girl, which an unfounded rumour said was buried on the premises. (L'Express)