Body found in car pulled from Dutch canal identified as 31-year-old "sweet guy"

The police identified the man found murdered in the trunk of a car pulled from the Stieljteskanaal on Friday morning as a 31-year-old resident of Klazienaveen. According to Dagblad van het Noorden, he is Ralf Meinema, a freelancer in the field of excavation who bought his home in Klazienaveen less than a year ago. His friends describe him as "sweet" and "nice" and can't imagine how he ended up murdered in the trunk of his own car.

The police searched Meinema's home on Friday to get more insight into the man, according to NU.nl. His home on Langestraat was still taped off on Monday, according to DVHN.

On Friday night his friends got together to talk about what happened and grieve together. "We recollected memories together. Cried, but between the tears also laughed at his jokes. Because he was always fun loving. He always joked. He was a very sweet guy, wouldn't hurt a fly." one said to DVHN.

A woman who saw him regularly also can't imagine that Meinema was killed. "And then possibly in a gruesome manner. He must've fallen into the wrong movie. Precisely because he was so nice. On Friday night someone said that Ralf was scared of his own shadow. He was trusting, wanted everyone to like him. That was perhaps his downfall."