Closed-casket open memorial for mother, daughter killed in Rotterdam shootings
On Sunday, the public can say goodbye to Marlous and Romy, the mother and daughter killed in the shootings in Rotterdam on September 28, in a walk-through memorial service. Between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., those who want to say goodbye can walk past their closed coffins in the Maaspodium, Namens de Familie said in a statement released to the media.
The family asked that the memorial happen in peace and without the media being present. They asked the press to respect that, said Names de Familie, the department of Victim Support that helps loved ones speak to the press. Marlous and Romy’s funeral will happen in private.
The family also said they were grateful for all the support. “Last week, we saw with our own eyes and experienced how much the deaths of our beloved Marlous and Romy also affected others. Not only in an impressive way at the house, where many hundreds of stuffed animals, flower arrangements, and artworks have been placed but also in other dear ways such as the crowdfunding by Romy’s colleague. All these expressions do not leave us unmoved,” they said in the statement released by Names de Familie. The GoFundMe campaign has raised 126,560 euros from 6,500 donations.
Marlous (39) and Romy (14) were shot and killed in their home on Hemain Dullaertplein in Rotterdam last week Thursday. Their neighbor, 32-year-old medical student Fouad L., is suspected of murdering them and Jurgen Damen, a lecturer at Erasmus MC. He is also accused of arson and illegal weapons possession.