Dutch man linked to sexual abuse of another Romanian girl, 8

Johannes 'Joop' V., a 46-year-old Dutch man suspected of sexually abusing and killing 11-year-old Romanian girl Mihaela Fieraru in Gura Sutii last week, may also have been involved in the sexual abuse of an 8-year-old Romanian girl in the village of Bogdănesti in 2016, Omroep Brabant reports based on reports in Romanian media.

Camera footage from 2016 show that V. was in the Romanian city of Iasi in 2016, when the 8-year-old girl was abused, according to the local media. He was also seen at a children's center in Bogdănesti, around 120 kilometers from Iasi. V.'s flight data also shows that he was definitely in the region when the girl was assaulted.

The Romanian police immediately launched an investigation into the 8-year-old girl's abuse. Last year photos of the suspected perpetrator were shown across the country, but this did not lead to any useful tips about his identity. 

It is unclear whether the man in the 2016 camera footage is actually V. The Romanian police are investigating. They've added the 2016 case file to the investigation into Mihaela Fieraru's sexual abuse and murder, according to Omroep Brabant. They're also looking into any other possible victims.

Mihaela disappeared on her way home from school on Friday. Her body was found in a field some seven kilometers from her hometown on Sunday. She had been sexually abused and strangled. V. was quickly linked to the girl's disappearance - the car he rented was caught in the town on surveillance cameras at around the same time the girl disappeared. 

Johannes V. left Romania by plane on Saturday. On Monday the Dutch police were following him at a distance, waiting for the Romanian authorities' go ahead to arrest him, when he swerved his car into oncoming traffic in Escharen. He hit a truck head-on and died in the collision.