Tuesday, 11 March 2014 - 08:09
No evidence for murder of boy, Schiedam
New investigations still don't offer any evidence that a 19-year old boy was murdered in Schiedam in 2008. The Public Prosecution Authority (OM) announced this on Monday. The boy's body was found in the Brielse Meer, after he had been missing for a week.
The boy's mother suspected that he was murdered by a youth gang, and demanded new investigations into this theory. She even threatened to go on a hunger strike if her request wasn't met.
The so-called National Reflection Room (Landelijke Reflectiekamer) has shone a light on earlier investigations into the boy's death. This has "not produced indications of a crime", according to a declaration from the OM.
The investigators are, however, recommending that a few loose ends be tied up. The boy's medical past, for example, has not yet been fully explored. There were also traces of various drugs in his body, a spokesperson for the OM said.
In 2007, another boy died who lived in the same neighborhood. His body was found in a ditch in Schiedam. An autopsy was not performed, as the police had come to the conclusion that it was an accident.
It is possible that the two boys knew each other. "The proposition of the relatives is that both deaths have something to do with each other", the OM-spokesperson said.
Justice could also take into account an abuse, of which the boy from Schiedam is suspected. Shortly before his disappearance and death, the police came to his home due to the boy having been charged. The boy reacted very emotionally to this. According to the Reflection Room, this seems "crucial to his disappearance."
