On July 26, 2003, he tried to abduct a 13 year old girl named Marie-Ascension. The girl escaped by leaping out of his car. Fourniret was arrested in Belgium in the same year. Belgian police had grown suspicious earlier though; in April 2001, a woman said she had been chased and harassed in southern Belgium. She gave a description that matched Fourniret, and also cited the license plate of his car. Only 3 weeks later, a thirteen-year old girl named Mananya Thumpong vanished in Sedan. Since then, Fourniret has confessed he killed her. 