Fatal stabbing streamed live on Instagram; Victim’s half-sister in custody

The murder of a 20-year-old woman on Saturday evening in Den Bosch was live-streamed on Instagram. The suspect in the case, a 21-year-old woman, was identified by police as the victim’s half-sister.

Police said Sunday afternoon that it was not clear what happened which led to the murder. After the victim was stabbed, she managed to get to a neighbor’s home to ask for assistance. Authorities were notified of the incident on Slagersdreef at about 7:50 p.m. The woman died at the scene despite the efforts of paramedics, first responders, and a trauma team in a helicopter.

“The victim and the suspect are half-sisters and live at the same address,” police said. “The suspect was still in the house at the time and was immediately arrested.” Police said they also obtained the video, which was shared as a stream on Instagram. Several screenshots were taken and shared in WhatsApp groups, according to police.

"They are horrible pictures. We ask people not to spread them through social media because it is terrible for the family of the victim," an Oost-Brabant police spokesperson told NL Times. Police asked recipients of the images to delete them immediately.

The victim's dog was also stabbed repeatedly, police confirm. The male fox terrier was taken by an animal ambulance to an emergency veterinarian for surgery."The stab wounds were spread all over his body," Rens van Lieshout from the animal ambulance told Omroep Brabant. Veterinarians operated on the dog to stop internal bleeding. "He is stable now and recovering, but it is still uncertain if he will survive," Van Lieshout said.

Police confirmed the suspect will be questioned again on Sunday. Authorities want to find out what happened in the house and hope to determine the motive of the attack. “The family and neighbors were at the police station yesterday. We have spoken extensively with everyone; the impact for them is great, of course."