Édouard-Jean Empain facts for kids

Édouard-Jean Empain was born on October 7, 1937, and passed away on June 21, 2018. He was a very important businessman from both France and Belgium. Many people knew him because he was kidnapped in 1978.

From 1969 to 1981, Édouard-Jean Empain was the boss of a huge company called the Schneider group. He was the grandson of the first Baron Empain, Édouard Louis Joseph. He first married Silvana Betuzzi in 1957, and they had two daughters and a son. They divorced shortly after his kidnapping. Later, in 1990, he married Jacqueline Ragonaux and lived with her near Paris.

The Kidnapping of Édouard-Jean Empain

When he was kidnapped, Édouard-Jean Empain was 40 years old. He had inherited a lot of money and was a famous businessman. He was in charge of the Schneider group, which he had led since 1969. This company was very big, with almost 150 smaller companies and 130,000 employees. It made billions of francs each year. Some of its well-known parts included companies that made nuclear reactors, metal products, and construction materials.

Édouard-Jean Empain said that the kidnapping changed him a lot, and he was never quite the same person afterward.

How the Kidnapping Happened

Avenue Foch, the street in Paris where the kidnapping took place.

On Monday, January 23, 1978, around 10:30 in the morning, Édouard-Jean Empain was leaving his home. His house was on Avenue Foch, a very fancy street in Paris, close to the famous Arc de Triomphe.

His car, a Peugeot 604, was being driven by his chauffeur. Just about 50 meters from his home, a moped suddenly slid across the road. It looked like an accident, and it made his car stop next to a parked van. As soon as the car stopped, several armed men quickly pulled the driver out. They forced him into the van. Then, they quickly put handcuffs on Édouard-Jean Empain and drove off in his own car. A few hours later, his car was found in an underground parking garage, but there were no useful clues like fingerprints left behind.

Even though witnesses couldn't give many details, the news of the kidnapping quickly spread. The police set up checkpoints all over Paris and its suburbs, hoping to find him, but it didn't help.

The Ransom and Release

The kidnappers demanded 80 million francs as a ransom. They seemed very serious about their demands. About four weeks after the kidnapping, on Monday, February 20, 1978, the kidnappers called the Schneider company's main office. They said they had lowered the ransom to 40 million francs without any further talks.

Baron Empain was finally released on Sunday, March 26, 1978. The kidnapping had lasted for 63 days. After several months of police work, almost all of the kidnappers were arrested. One of them was killed during a shootout when the police tried to arrest him. During the investigation, the police stopped 24,000 vehicles and visited 12,000 homes to gather information.

Later Life

Édouard-Jean Empain passed away in Paris on June 21, 2018, when he was 80 years old. He died from a type of cancer.