Belgian prosecutors say a French forestry worker has admitted killing six girls in France and Belgium.
The suspect, Michel Fourniret, 62, has been in custody since being arrested on kidnapping and abuse charges last June.
His victims are thought to include 12-year-old Elisabeth Brichet, who went missing near Namur, Belgium, in 1989.
The reports come days after Belgian child killer Marc Dutroux was sentenced to life in prison for the kidnap, rape and murder of young girls.
The prosecutor for the city of Liege, Anne Thily, said Fourniret had carried out the killings between 1987 and 2001.
The breakthrough by Belgium and French authorities came when Fourniret's estranged wife said her husband could have killed up to nine children, according to Belgian media.
The father of Elisabeth Brichet told Belgium's VRT television he hoped police had finally found his daughter's killer.
"I am awaiting confirmation from the prosecutors' office," he said.
"I just want to know the truth."
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