Where are Laëtitia Delhez and Sabine Dardenne now? Details about World's Most Notorious Killers' subjects explored 

World's Most Notorious Killers episode 3 on Peacock will replay the horrors Sabine Dardenne and Laëtitia Delhez went through after they were abducted and held captive by the infamous serial killer Marc Dutroux in 1996.

The episode, titled, Monsters of Belgium arrived on Peacock along with the rest of the four episodes of the documentary on September 17, 2024. The official synopsis of episode three reads:

"Belgian police are unsure whether they have caught a serial killer or unmasked a child s*x ring."

After Sabine Dardenne was abducted and held captive, a month later, Marc Dutroux kidnapped Laëtitia Dalhez. However, the cops tracked the criminal down, and the girls returned to their families on August 15, 1996. Sabine Dardenne is a famous Belgian author now and Laëtitia Dalhez has stayed out of the limelight and lives with her family in Belgium.

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Marc Dutroux first kidnapped Sabine Dardenne and then abducted Laëtitia Delhez.

12-year-old Sabine Dardenne was abducted by Marc Dutroux on May 28, 1996, while she was on her way to school. She was held captive in Marc Dutroux’s Sars-la-Buissière home in a dungeon. 14-year-old Laëtitia Delhez was abducted by Marc Dutroux next on August 9, 1996, and kept in the same dungeon alongside Sabine.

However, Marc Dutroux left loose ends while kidnapping Laëtitia Delhez. One of the locals was an eyewitness to this felony and remembered the red truck and the license plate. This served as crucial evidence for the Belgian police.

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How were Sabine Dardenne and Laëtitia Delhez rescued?

After Laëtitia Delhez was kidnapped by Marc Dutroux in 1996, he was tracked down by the law officers on August 13, 1996, with the help of the number plate of his red truck.

2 days post-arrest, the kidnapper told the officers about his secret spot where he hid his victims, soon after which the girls were recused from the dungeon downstairs. Allegedly, Marc Dutroux abused them and also subjected them to torture, which left them traumatized.

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What are Sabine Dardenne and Laëtitia Delhez doing now?

Sabine Dardenne is a famous Belgian author who also wrote a book titled I Choose to Live (published in 2020), which documents her abduction when she was twelve and narrates her experiences during and after the horrors she dealt with.

The official synopsis of the book as per Google Books reads:

"On May 28th, 1996, Sabine Dardenne, twelve years old, was kidnapped by Marc Dutroux, a paedophile and multiple offender who had already raped other young girls in Belgium. I Choose to Live is her testimony—both courageous and uplifting."

Information about Laëtitia Dalhez, on the other hand, is not widely available on the web. However, as per the Brussels Times, both the victims were contacted by Amazon, who wanted to create a series based on their experiences while they were held captive at Dutroux’s residence. However, the negotiations didn’t go well, and Sabine didn’t agree to collaborate with Amazon.

Sabine’s lawyer talked about the matter and revealed:

"Not for €50,000 euros would Sabine want to say anything about Dutroux. After the trial, she wrote her story down in a book. And as far as she's concerned, the case is closed once and for all.”

Laëtitia Dalhez also received a similar request from Amazon, and as per a May 2021 report by The Brussels Times, she did not reply to the request or offer.

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What happened to Marc Dutroux?

Marc Dutroux was first convicted in 1989 for the r*pe and abduction of five minors, after which he was sent to prison. However, in 1992, he was released after serving 3 years in jail. In 1996, after the police tracked down Marc Dutroux following the investigation regarding the abduction of Laëtitia Delhez, he was arrested yet again.

After the two girls were discovered in the dungeon, the police found more mortal remains of several missing people from Marc’s property. Marc Dutroux's wife, Michelle Martin, and his other criminal partners, Michel Lelièvre, Bernard Weinstein, and Michel Nihoul, were also arrested alongside Marc.

He was arrested in 1996 arrest and was found guilty of several crimes, including se*ual abuse, torture, and abduction in 2004, following which he received a life sentence. He has been in solitary confinement since then.

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To know more about this case, watch World's Most Notorious Killers episode 3 on Peacock.