Butcher of Mons

The Butcher of Mons is a media name given to an unidentified serial killer who committed five murders between January 1996 and July 1997 in or near the Belgian city of Mons. The name was chosen because of the highly precise dismemberment of the victims' bodies. In addition to the bodies, brightly colored underwear was also found in the bags. All the victims had in common that they frequented the area of Mons railway station, and all were plagued by socio-economic or family issues.

Carmelina Russo Russo, 42, disappeared on 4 January 1996. Her pelvis was discovered on 21 January in the Scheldt, in the Nord department in France.

Martine Bohn Bohn, 43, a former prostitute from France, went missing on 21 July 1996. That same month, her bust was fished out of the Haine near Mons.

Jacqueline Leclercq Leclercq, 33, a mother of four children, went missing on 22 December 1996.

Nathalie Godart Godart, 21, disappeared in March 1997. Her bust was found in the Haine.

Begonia Valencia Valencia, 37, disappeared from her home in Frameries in the summer of 1997. Her skull was found in Hyon.

Smail Tulja In February 2007, Smail Tulja was arrested in Montenegro at the behest of United States authorities after being suspected of committing the murders in Belgium as well as a similar murder in 1990 of his wife in New York. Tulja was also suspected of committing two murders in Albania. In February 2009, he was charged with the murder of his wife. However, Montenegro refused to extradite him because of his citizenship and he was sentenced in July 2010 by a Montenegrin court to twelve years in prison for the murder of Mary Beal. In 2012, Montenegrin media reported that Tulja died in prison in February of that year.

The identity of the killer - as long as the killings in question are the work of one individual - remains unknown to this day. Between the beginning of the investigation in 1997 and 2010, nearly 1000 complaints were made.