His name and face remain engraved in the collective memory, as a symbol of innocence broke when he was just nine years old. Seventeen years after the disappearance of Estelle Mouzin, on January 9, 2003, in Guermantes (Seine-et-Marne), the case knew a major advance last November with the indictment of the serial killer Michel Fourniret. For the first time since this judicial twist and before a white march organized this Saturday in the battered commune, the girl's father, Eric Mouzin, gives his opinion on suspect number 1, the vagaries of the investigation and the memories that he looks after his daughter.
Why is it important for you, seventeen years later, to organize this gathering?
ÉRIC MOUZIN. We walked in the first year and it continued. It's a way of saying that we keep moving to find Estelle, that we don't give up on research. Walkers are tenacious people, that suits me well. There is also the symbolism of a path that we travel…
Will this year's walk be special after the indictment of Michel Fourniret?
No. There have already been suspects placed in police custody around the anniversary of the disappearance of Estelle, including a man from the Yvelines. At the time, the PJ of Versailles was convinced that he was the culprit ... And concerning Fourniret, the case had been moving for some time, the indictment is only the consequence of actions started almost a year ago three years when Monique Olivier said she had things to say about her ex-husband's alibi. I almost want to say it was time…
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PODCAST. Disappearance of Estelle Mouzin: who is Monique Olivier, the ex-wife of Fourniret?
How did you feel when the Fourniret was charged?
It was not a relief, but the realization of a process that had been going on for a long time. I am not saying that this indictment is harmless, but we cannot yet speak of victory but of judicial stage. It is necessary to provide proof of Fourniret's guilt and not to be manipulated by this killer and his wife who have successfully challenged the investigators for many years. I don't want to fall into a trap. I am nevertheless satisfied that the judge, who is examining other Fourniret files, knows where to look and how to communicate with them. This was not the case for the other judges and investigators ...
Do you feel that time has been lost in the investigation?
If we have filed a complaint against the State for gross negligence, it is because we consider that the work was not well done. I have the feeling that the investigators and the judges were not methodical, scattered and carried out investigations sometimes in spite of common sense. Time has been wasted. Fourniret's alibi, that famous phone call made to his son from his Belgian home, it's been years that it has never been seriously verified…
What credit should be given to the words of Monique Olivier and Michel Fourniret?
No. Fourniret already wrote me a letter in 2005 or 2006. He said he wanted to speak eye to eye and denied his involvement in the disappearance of Estelle. Du Fourniret in the text ... I have nothing to say to him. He is in a world of madness, there is no point in trying to communicate with this individual. He may have kidnapped and murdered Estelle, but he is in another world and his perversity is such that I don't want to approach it. I don't count on him to give me back Estelle's body. But on the investigators and the judge to gather elements and concretize the Fourniret track.
What memory do you keep of Estelle?
Estelle ... She was the joy of life, the enthusiasm. She was bursting with energy. I have strong memories of Sundays together at the Center Pompidou in Paris. There were painting analysis courses for children: she beamed with happiness to discover the meaning of the paintings, the colors… I go back sometimes, these are very strong memories. All the places where I passed with Estelle, all the places that I discover and that she will never see ... These are sources of great emotion.
Have you and Estelle's mother managed to rebuild yourself since this tragedy?
I have no further news from Estelle's mother and I do not know if she has been informed of the progress of the investigation. I live today in a blended family, I have not had new children but my partner has four. When Estelle was still there, the five of us lived. This family life soothes suffering. We must leave room for life, not to allow ourselves to be invaded by death. It is in this spirit that I do not want to give too much attention to Michel Fourniret. It symbolizes death and does not deserve it.