Police: Help needed to find missing man with intellectual disability

Searches were still going on Thursday to find Samed, a man with an intellectual disability who has been missing since Friday in Apeldoorn, the police reported. A team of about 20 police officers has been deployed over the past few days in the city located in the province of Gelderland to find the 33-year-old man. Police urged anyone with tips, information or images to come forward.

On Monday, the police said they were urgently searching for Samed. He went cycling and never returned to the care institution in Apeldoorn, where he lives. The man urgently needs medication. A supervisor saw Samed leave the care institution’s grounds on his bicycle on Friday and never returned. Samed does not know the area well - he has only been living at this institution for three weeks.

According to the police, Samed was last seen on Rustoordlaan in Apeldoorn around midnight on Friday. The police asked locals to check their security- and doorbell cameras for any sign of the man. On Sunday, a Veteran Search Team combed the city. On Monday, the police continued the search using drones to comb a cornfield in the De Barnewinkel area.

On Tuesday, camera footage from nearby businesses and residences were reviewed. Teams scoured the nature areas around Amersfoort on Tuesda night but did not find anything. Specialized dogs were deployed on Wednesday to re-examine the vicinity and buildings of the care institution. Drones were used for the search on Thursday. “We assume that Samed must be in the nearby area,” the police wrote on Thursday.

“A lot is still unclear. We are looking for clues; for example, a team is looking at images, and they are talking to people involved. In addition, we are trying to get a picture of where Samed liked to be and what he was doing,” the police wrote.

Samed is 1.7 meters tall, with a stout posture and short, buzz-cut hair. He was last seen wearing a sand-colored jacket and black Adidas pants. “Samed left on a black transport ladies bicycle with a rack, but without a crate,” a police spokesperson said.

The police stressed that anyone who encounters Samed should approach him calmly as he may be frightened or respond anxiously. They should call the police immediately via 112. The police also asked people with tips or potential important information to call 0900-8844.

The police are also looking for images. People with images and people living close to the Rustoordlaan in Apeldoorn should contact the police via 0900-8844.