Amsterdam man arrested on suspicion of human trafficking

A 65-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking after a woman who had been missing for half a year was found in his Amsterdam home. Police are still investigating the case.

The search for 27-year-old Ann Atkinson, who disappeared on Dec. 5, 2021 from a care facility in Zwammerdam, ended when police received an anonymous tip. The report led them to a house in Amsterdam, where they found the missing woman with mental disabilities. They then arrested the owner of the house.

Atkinson left the institution in Zwammerdam in December without taking any of her personal belongings. She was seen in Amsterdam three days later. Her family was concerned, telling the police that she had gone missing and been taken advantage of before, according to Omroep West. 

After her disappearance, photographs of Atkinson were broadcast on Opsporing Verzocht and Team West. The anonymous reporter saw the broadcasts and recognized the missing woman.