Man held over woman's suspicious death; Victim the aunt of child killed last year

Police in Roermond arrested a 47-year-old male resident on suspicion of involvement in the death of a 51-year-old woman whose body was found in their home. The woman was an aunt to Gino van der Straeten, a 9-year-old boy who vanished from a playground last year, and was later found killed, according to AD

Authorities confirmed in a statement that they went to the home on De Vismarkt in Roermond at about 9:30 a.m. for a report of an unresponsive person. There, they attempted to resuscitate the woman, but their attempts were unsuccessful. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Neighbors told AD that the suspect was living with the woman. They reportedly fought frequently in recent weeks, which necessitated police intervention on multiple occasions. A police spokesperson would only confirm that the address where the woman's body was found had been visited by police before, AD said.

The police spokesperson mentioned there were "suspicious circumstances" at the scene but refrained from providing further details. The statement from police noted that the investigation was ongoing, and that they secured trace evidence at the scene. They have also issued a public appeal for any information that can help solve the case.

The deceased woman was a close relative of 9-year-old Gino, who was kidnapped, drugged, sexually abused, and murdered last year. After he disappeared on June 1, 2022 while playing outside in Kerkrade, an Amber Alert was released nationally to raise awareness about the missing boy who they believed to be in a life threatening situation.

Police officers and hundreds of volunteers searched extensively for the boy to no avail. On June 4, the police arrested Donny M. after an investigation led to the man. They found Gino’s body near M.’s house in Geleen after he told the police where to look. M. confessed to abducting and killing the child.

Van der Straeten's mother was also found dead four months later.