New Yorker arrested for 2003 murder of Amsterdam sex worker

A 60-year-old American man was arrested on Wednesday for the murder of 42-year-old, Yvette Loojs, 17 years ago in Amsterdam Zuidoost.

The body of the transgender woman was discovered on November 15, 2003, in Bijlmer Park. It was evident she had died as the result of a crime.

Police stated that Yvette had been working as a prostitute in the area on the night that she died. Authorities soon suspected her last client, a man named Matthew from New York, was responsible for her death. The suspect had told other people that he had beaten Yvette in the park and left her there.

A detailed description of the man was released in Opsporing Verzocht in early 2004 leading to a number of arrests. The man police were looking for, however, was not amongst the suspects.

The murder remained a cold case until 2017 when a different team of investigators took a fresh look at the case revealing new evidence. In 2020, investigators were able to identify the American man. He had moved from the Netherlands back to the United States. The 60-year-old suspect was brought to the Netherlands on Wednesday after Dutch authorities filed a formal extradition request.

Police are still investigating what exactly occurred between Yvette and the suspect in the moments that led up to the 42-year-old woman’s death. “It is of course good news the suspect has now been arrested. However, this does not immediately answer all of our questions. Even after 17 years, all information is still welcome to use”, the leader of the cold case investigations team in Amsterdam said.