On Friday, the survivors and relatives of the victims of the the Brabant Killers were told by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office that the investigation into the gang’s crimes is likely to be closed. The Brabant Killers' spree of violence terrorised Belgian society in the 1980s. 40 years later we seem no closer to knowing the identities of those involved in the gang.
The case is the largest unsolved case in Belgian judicial history. The Brabant Killers’ last attack was almost 39 years ago in November 1985, when a Delhaize supermarket in the East Flemish town of Aalst was targeted. This was not only the gang’s last attack, but also its bloodiest.
During the past few years further investigation into the the Brabant killers’ crimes has uncovered a lot more information related to case. New witnesses have been questioned and DNA testing has been used in an effort to force a breakthrough in the case.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office believes that as things stand everything that could have been done has been done. The investigation has been completed, but it has not resulted in the case being solved. The police and Public Prosecutor’s Office have not been able to determine who was behind the brutal and bloody attacks and murders carried out by the gang. Consequently, the investigation will be formally concluded at some point in the near future.
No new leads
There are currently no new leads or clues that can be followed up. This means that de facto the investigation ends here. Nevertheless, if new evidence were to emerge that could lead to the case being solved the investigation will be reopened.
A total of 1,800 tips from witnesses have been followed up, around 600 DNA samples were analysed, 2,700 fingerprints were checked and as many as 40 bodies were exhumed as part of the investigation.
No statute of limitations possible
The investigation into the Brabant Killers can no longer be time-barred. In April 2024, the members of the Belgian Federal Parliament approved a measure that excludes certain murder cases from the rules limiting the length of time prosecutors have to bring a case to court. This change was tailor-made for the Brabant Killers case. Previously those investigating the case would have had until next year (40 years after the gang’s final crime to bring a suspect (or suspects) to court.
The Brabant Killers
Between 1982 and 1985, the Brabant Killers terrorised the country with a series of extremely violent burglaries, attacks on supermarkets (mostly Delhaize stores) and murders.
28 people were murdered and 40 others were injured, some of them seriously. The case has remained unsolved.