Fishing crew finds remains of man, 85, missing since 2018

People fishing off the coast of the North Sea found the remains of a man missing from Kampen, Overijssel for over three years, police said on Tuesday. The bones of the 85-year-old man were brought to the surface and were later identified by investigators. 

DNA determined that the remains belonged to Dirk van den Belt. “The relatives of Mr. Van den Belt were informed last week,” police said. Authorities said his death was not the result of a crime. Police did not disclose how the man wound up in the North Sea. 

He was last seen in April 2018 at a train station in Alkmaar, Noord-Holland, about 100 kilometers away from his hometown. He was also spotted earlier that day at the train station in Duivendrecht. Few clues were discovered during several searches after the man went missing.

Police worked with the family to collect genetic material to add to the Missing Persons DNA Database in case his body would one day be discovered. As a result of this work, police were able to identify Van Den Belt's remains.