Convicted rapist arrested in disappearance of Anne Faber; search expanded

A 27-year-old man convicted of raping two teenage girls in 2010 and several robberies, was arrested on Monday in connection with the disappearance of 25-year-old Anne Faber from Utrecht. According to RTL Nieuws, he was arrested at psychiatric institution Altrecht Aventurijn in Den Dolder.

The suspect is Michael P. from Zeewolde, AD reports. In 2010 the man was sentenced on appeal to 12 years in prison for raping two girls, aged 16 and 17, in Nijkerk on Queen's Day of that year, according to the broadcaster. He was also convicted of committing several robberies in Nijkerk and Hardewijk. The man refused to cooperate with a psychiatric examination at the Pieter Baan Center during his trial, which is why he was not sentenced to institutionalized psychiatric treatment. As he already served a large part of his sentence, he was given the opportunity in Den Dolder to prepare for a gradual return to society, RTL Nieuws reports.

Anne Faber disappeared while cycling on Friday, September 29th. She left her home in Rijnsweerd, Utrecht on a black bicycle on Friday afternoon. She went cycling on a regular basis. Around 6:50 p.m. she sent a selfie to her boyfriend. The poho shows her standing in the rain in Baarn. That was the last time anyone heard from her. Based on her phone data, the police determined that Anne was cycling on route 115802, from Soest towards De Bilt, after that selfie was taken. After several unsuccessful searches in Baarn and Soest, clothing was found in Huis ter Heide that the police determined belong to Anne.

Exactly what led to the 27-year-old man's arrest, was not revealed. Though the belief is that his DNA matched traces found on Anne's clothing.

After the arrest, the police moved the focus of their search from Huis ter Heide in the direction of the psychiatric institution in Den Dolder, NOS reports. The suspect's room was searched and the police spoke to a number of people at the institution.

According to NOS, prisoners become eligible for gradual resocialization up to 18 months before the end of their sentence. As the suspect was eligible for conditional release, he was allowed to start this phase, despite a 12 year prison sentence. The resocialization process also includes some freedoms, such as being allowed outside unaccompanied. The prisoner's counselor decides which freedoms are appropriate.

The PVV calls it scandalous that this man was allowed to walk the streets freely. The party is posing parliamentary questions to find out how this was allowed to happen, parliamentarian Gidi Markuszower said to the Telegraaf. "It's a big scandal", he said. "What was this life-threatening monster already doing on the streets?" According to Markuszower, the officials at Security and Justice are making the Netherlands more dangerous instead of safer.

A number of people living around the institution in Den Dolder, are tired of problems caused by patients and are arranging a residents' meeting for Tuesday. "It is enough, enough" one resident said to RTL Nieuws. "We want our children to walk, play and live safely here."