The Dutch girlfriend of Dave De K. has also been arrested. De K. is suspected of having killed 4-year-old Dean Verberckmoes. Dean’s body was found Monday evening at Neeltje Jans. The girlfriend is now also part of the investigation, reports HLN.
The disappearance of 4-year-old Dean Verberckmoes was big news in the Netherlands and Belgium on Monday. The search for the boy from Sint-Niklaas, just across the border at Sint Jansteen, came to a sad end on Monday evening at 10 p.m. His body was found in an abandoned spot on Neeltje Jans. What do we know about the case so far?
Neeltje Jans, Tuesday morning. Under a blanket of fog, forensic detectives secure the last tracks early in the morning, out of sight of a number of Belgian journalists. They worked all night long. Black screens are set up around the crime scene, ribbons are supposed to keep the curious, who are not there, at a distance. A hearse leaves around 7:00 a.m., most likely containing Dean’s body. It is the sad end of a nearly 24-hour search for the four-year-old Belgian boy.
Since January 12 without a trace
The news about Dean’s disappearance gained momentum on Monday morning after reporting in the Belgian media. The 34-year-old Dave De K. and the boy, of whom he is the nanny, had been missing since Wednesday 12 January. It was suspected that they would be somewhere in the Netherlands.
A police helicopter was used to search in Vlissingen, just like at the beach. It was thought that he drove through the Westerscheldetunnel. The police are also conducting investigations in other places in the Netherlands. The man’s car, a gray Peugeot, is found in the afternoon at a company in Gorinchem in South Holland.
Elke Verberckmoes (39), the boy’s mother, made an emotional appeal to Dave to bring her son back. ,,I try to keep strong, but I’m actually terrified. All I want now is to be reunited with my little apple of my eye. Possibly put him at the door and then drive away, but take my son home.”
Every Wednesday they took care of my two children, so that my own mother could be relieved. Dave had the best bond with Dean
She couldn’t understand why Dave had run off with her son. “He has been a pillar of support for me over the past year. I am a deliberately unmarried mother of two, but I have been struggling with depression for a while. During my treatment I got to know Dave’s girlfriend and then Dave himself. We got along well and spoke almost daily. Every Wednesday they took care of my two children, so that my own mother could be relieved. Dave had the best bond with Dean.”
“Bye mom, I’m going to miss you,” were the last words Dean said to his mother, the report said Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws
acquaintance of the police
In the course of yesterday, more and more details about the Belgian babysitter came out. He turned out to be an acquaintance of the police and the judiciary. In 2008, he assaulted a 2-year-old boy to such an extent that he died, Belgian justice confirmed. Little Miguel van Kriekinge was violently thrown against the bars of his bed by De K. and pushed down the stairs. He was also hit with a vacuum cleaner rod. De K. was sentenced to ten years in prison for inhumane acts, resulting in death. The judge called Miguel “Dave de K’s punching bag.”
After hours of searching, Dave was arrested in the afternoon in the village of Meerkerk in the province of Utrecht. He is found alone, there is no trace of Dean. The interrogation with the suspect also failed to determine the whereabouts of the child, according to the police. An Amber Alert was therefore sent.
It would be hours before Dean is found, presumably because Dave started talking anyway. At 9.45 pm it is revealed that the boy has been found in a deserted place on Neeltje Jans between the boulders.
Discussions are also taking place today as to whether or not the case will be transferred to the Belgian judiciary.
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