Céline Saison (1982 – May 16, 2000) was a French woman who was raped and murdered by notorious serial killer, Michel Fourniret.
Backstory[]
Céline Saison was an 18-year-old woman who attended Chanzy High School in Charleville-Mézières where she was studying philosophy. She was reported missing after failing to return home from school.
Fourniret was also nicknamed the "Virgin hunter". Although it is unclear where this nickname came from, it is alleged that Olivier (Fourniret's wife) promised Fourniret to help hunt "virgins" for sport, in return for Fourniret helping Olivier to murder her first husband, although this murder never took place. The rape of women assumed to be virgins was a recurring theme in the way Fourniret operated, something which he considered "sport".
Events[]
Fourniret spots a thin girl in jeans, white blouse and blue sneakers returning from school (where she had just taken a mock exam in Philosophy). Fourniret writes a local address on a piece of paper and approaches the high school student to ask for directions. Céline Saison gets into his vehicle.
Once she is inside the vehicle, he locks the doors and threatens Saison with torture and death if she does not have sex with him. He then rapes her. Afterwards, he grabs a rope from under his seat and strangles her. He abandoned her body in a forest in Vresse-sur-Semois.
Aftermath[]
Saison's skeletal remains were discovered in the forest by mushroom pickers on 22 July 2000. It wasn't until 2004 that Fourniret confessed to the murder.
In 2008, Fourniret was convicted of seven murders and sentenced to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. He remained incarcerated until his death in 2021.