Prosecutors: More suspects may be involved in Savannah's murder

By Janene Pieters on June 9, 2017 - 07:42

Savannah Dekker, missing in Bunschoten since 1 Jun 2017

More people may be involved in the disappearance and death of 14-year-old Savannah Dekker from Bunschoten, head prosecutor in Midden-Nederland Jet Hoogendijk said in television program Jinek. A 16-year-old boy arrested for the girl's death was remanded into custody for another 14 days on Thursday. The Prosecutor believes that more arrests may follow.

According to Hoogendijk, the murder case around Savannah, who was found dead in Bunschoten on Sunday, is more complex than the similar one surrounding 14-year-old Romy Nieuwburg. Romy was found dead in Achterveld last week Friday. A 14-year-old boy was arrested and he confessed to sexually assaulting and killing her. Despite the similarities, the two 14-year-old girls' murders seem to be unrelated.

"The Savannah case is more complex, complicated and is going less smoothly", Hoogendijk said on the program on Thursday night. So far the police received som 250 tips about Savannah's death and disappearance. "We already have a lot, and there are good tips in between. Everything from Thursday evening may be the missing piece of the puzzle that helps to get the world in view a bit better."

The police are still looking for witnesses. Anyone who knows something about Savannah's disappearance last week Thursday, or saw her between Thursday afternoon and Sunday, can report to the police. The investigators hope to establish a complete timeline.

When two 14-year-old girls were found murdered within 20 kilometers of each other, and on the same weekend, the authorities immediately assumed that the two cases were connected. Not until Sunday night did it become clear that the two cases were separate, happening at the same time by some bizarre coincidence, Hoogendijk said. "This is so bizarre, you don't experience this often: two similar killings in one weekend."

In the case around Romy's murder, Hoogendijk does not believe that any further arrests will be made. There are currently "no indications" that more people were involved in her death, he said.