Police admit mistakes in 2013 investigation into Amsterdam woman's death

The Noord-Holland police admitted that mistakes were made in the investigation into the death of 25-year-old Amsterdam woman Talitha in 2013. In a letter to Talitha's relatives, the chief of the Noord-Holland police admits that two involved police officers acted "carelessly" in the investigation, the family's lawyer Sebas Diekstra said on Monday, NU.nl reports.

Talitha was hit by a train in Heerhugowaard in 2013. The police quickly ruled that it was suicide, but Talitha's family does not believe this. According to the statement of the train driver, Talitha was lying motionless on the track when she was run over. And independent forensic investigator Frank van de Groot concluded that her injuries did not match a suicide. One police officer stated that there was a suicide note in her handbag, but no note was found later.

In the letter to the family, the police chief states that "the responsible officers did not take vital information into consideration in order to have a forensic investigation at the scene". They should have known that further forensic investigation into the cause of death was necessary, according to the letter.

"They too quickly assumed suicide and thereby possibly destroyed evidence", Diekstra said on behalf of the family. "A number of the family's very crucial questions will thus probably remain unanswered." Diekstra added that the police apologized to the family and brought them flowers, and that the family accepted the apologies. "That they now recognize the mistakes, reflects a very professional attitude. We certainly have the idea that they want to learn from this case."