Four damaged vehicles seized in hit-and-run that left girl, 14, dead

Police took four cars into evidence as part of an investigation into a suspected hit-and-run crash that killed a 14-year-old girl from Marken, Noord-Holland. The girl's body was found on the Zeedijk in Zuiderwoude at about 4 a.m. on Saturday, with no sign of the car involved.

She had been reported missing, but no car accident at that location was reported to authorities. Her body was discovered in the grass along the road by police officers who, at the time, were headed to Marken to help look for the girl, according to broadcaster NH Nieuws. An earlier police report said officers and paramedics tried to revive her, but were unsuccessful. Tire tracks were found at the scene, but no bicycle, leading investigators to believe the teenager was on foot at the time of the crash. 

Saturday evening, a car was found in Uitdam with damage that could be consistent with the evidence found at the scene. The damage fit the profile police were looking for and officers took the vehicle into evidence. Three more damaged vehicles were also taken into evidence from Marken, according to the Telegraaf. The vehicles were discovered after police intensively searched the villages to find damaged vehicles

Hours before her body was discovered, a loosely-organized search had started in Marken. A distraught woman, possibly the girl's mother, had approached people on the street asking for help in finding a missing teen, said 19-year-old Mervyn to NH Nieuws. He and his friends spent about two hours biking around Marken looking for any sign of the girl, and decided to call it off and go home around 3 a.m.

"I am so annoyed that I did not ride down the dike. Then I might have found her," he said. "I find it difficult to describe my feelings. At Marken, you certainly know everyone and especially the youth. Everyone is in shock,” he said.

Many others expressed sadness and anger, including cafe owner Dick Korndijk, whose staff had briefly encountered the girl the night she died. He said it had a deep impact on everyone in their small community.