Netherlands Grieving Over Dead Children

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

AMSTERDAM (Worthy News) – The Netherlands on Wednesday plunged into mourning as police confirmed that a three-day search for two missing children ended when their bodies, along with that of their father, were recovered from a car submerged in a remote canal.

The children, a brother and sister named by police as Jeffrey, 10, and Emma, 8, had been missing from their home near the rural village of Beerta, in the northeast of the country, not far from the German border.

Yet questions were asked as to whether their death could have been prevented, as the father apparently abducted the children in a divorce crisis, and officers had been aware of domestic violence.

Police Chief Frank Smilda of Groningen province confirmed to reporters that officers were at the father’s and children’s home in Beerta Friday evening, because “a report” had been made.

Smilda said, “At that time, there was no reason to intervene.”

Police Chief Martin Sitalsing of the Northern Netherlands added that the mother raised the alarm on Wednesday after receiving messages from the father. “Colleagues spoke with him, but the signals at that moment were not so alarming that immediate action was taken. However, a report was made to [the] “Veilig Thuis” (“Safe at Home”) [group] to at least follow up on the signal.”

Yet as a weekend was underway, the group seemed not to have viewed those signals as requiring urgent action, underscoring broader frustration among critics over the perceived slow-motion work by child protection agencies.

AMBERT ALERT

With the children gone, police issued an amber alert – a text message requesting public assistance in finding a missing child – on Sunday, warning that the children appeared to have been driven away by their father the previous day and could be in imminent danger.

“We have serious concerns for the safety of the children, and finding them is now our highest priority”, Tessel Horsman, a police spokesperson, said at the time.

Details of the grey Toyota belonging to the children’s father, Klaas Bijl, 67, had also been circulated to German police, she said, because he was known to have visited a gambling hall just across the border in Bunde on Saturday.

Horsman said Jeffrey, “who was 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) tall, was wearing a yellow T-shirt when last seen, while Emma was wearing pink trainers.”

Fears for the children escalated late Sunday when a close family member appealed for help, revealing on local television that the end of Bijl’s marriage appeared to have sparked the crisis.

He added: “Please keep searching – don’t give up.”

In response, more than 100 volunteers turned out in a quiet community and began a detailed search of the land.

‘TAKEN TO PARADISE’

A friend of Bijl’s reported to police that the children’s father had told him on Saturday that he planned to “take himself and the children to paradise”.

Hope began to fade after the weekend, and police discovered Bijl’s car and all three bodies in the Rensel canal late on Tuesday, just a few kilometres (miles) from Beerta, where the children had disappeared, and in the area where the search had been concentrated.

By Wednesday afternoon, they had confirmed that the identities were, in fact, those of the missing family. The car had been removed for forensic investigation.

In a brief message on social media, the children’s half-brother, Rubertus Hake, thanked police and locals for their support and appealed for privacy for the family.

Flowers were laid on Wednesday at the spot where the crane lifted the car from the water. “This is deeply felt in the village”, confirmed local mayor, Cora-Yfke Sikkema. “It touches us all. The bleakest scenario has sadly become a reality. This is a dramatic outcome for the family and friends, as well as for classmates and former classmates. And also for everyone who had gotten involved in the situation.”

Other mayors in the area of Groningen province agreed. “This is an immensely sad end to days of uncertainty that deeply affect us. Our thoughts are first and foremost with Jeffrey, Emma’s mother, and the immediate family. We feel this sadness in our society,” said the mayor of Eeemsdelta, Ben Visser.

A crowdfunding campaign launched for the children’s funeral quickly collected over 6,000 euros ($6,800), with a goal of 14,000 euros ($15,900). The project was started “with the family’s permission, to help them give the two sweet children a dignified farewell,” wrote the woman behind the donation drive.

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