Dutch police believe missing Belgian man was murdered

The police discussed the case of missing Jelle Leemans on Opsporing Verzocht on Tuesday. Investigators believe the Belgian man may have been murdered during a drug deal in the Netherlands in November 2013. The police received 35 tips about the missing man following the broadcast.

Leemans became involved in drug dealing after losing his job in 2013, according to the police. He regularly crossed the border to the Netherlands to buy large amounts of drugs. He was last seen on November 21st, 2013.

That morning he traveled towards Nispen in Noord-Brabant. One of the last signs of life from the man came from that town. His cellphone registered on a tower near Nispen. Later in the day, at around 11:30 a.m., his car was caught on a speed camera in Brasschaat. It is not clear whether he was in the car at the time.

The police are looking for three possible suspects in connection with Leemans' disappearance. The DNA of an as yet unidentified woman was found on a half-eaten sandwich in Leemans' car. And surveillance camera footage showed two men around his car in Nispen.

The police previously launched a search in Nispen for signs of the missing man, but found nothing. Two Dutch men were arrested on suspicion of involvement in Leemans' disappearance, but the police had to release them again in 2014 due to lack of evidence, according to the Telegraaf.