KRO-NCRV cancels "Spoorloos" after mismatches in family reunions
KRO-NCRV has decided to end its long-running program "Spoorloos" (Lost), effective immediately, following a series of mismatches in family reunions. The program, which helped adopted children search for their biological parents overseas, came under fire after it was revealed that some participants had been connected with the wrong families.
"The intense sadness this has caused is something we cannot undo," explained Sandra Hilster, media director for the broadcaster. The decision to end the program was made in an effort to prevent any further emotional distress for the affected participants.
The renewed criticism surfaced after De Volkskrant reported that "Spoorloos" was being held liable by Marthainès de Vries, a woman adopted from Colombia. She was reunified with the wrong family, a mistake that wasn’t discovered until more than two decades later.
De Vries, who conducted her own investigation into the matter, eventually found her real family, but by then, her parents had already passed away. "If the editorial team had done their job properly, I would have had nine more years with my real mother and eleven with my father," de Vries said.
She added that she hit a "wall" when trying to communicate with the "Spoorloos" team about where things had gone wrong. In response, KRO-NCRV expressed regret, calling it "very sad and unfortunate" that de Vries was connected to the wrong family and said they hoped to speak with her.
Fiona Teggatz, from the Colombian organization "Buscas tu familia," praised the decision to end the program. "These people should not cause more sadness and suffering than they already have," Teggatz said. She had reportedly been instrumental in helping de Vries locate her biological family.
However, Teggatz expressed frustration that the decision was made public through the media, rather than informing the affected individuals directly. "It would have been more considerate to inform the victims first," she said. She added that the announcement came as a surprise to those affected, noting that conversations with KRO-NCRV had been "difficult," and that the broadcaster, despite expressing regret, had shown little empathy in their personal dealings.
Mismatches have been an ongoing issue for "Spoorloos" since it first aired in 1990. In 2022, investigative journalist Kees van der Spek revealed that at least two adopted children had been connected to the wrong biological parents due to errors made by a local "Spoorloos" employee. Last year, De Volkskrant exposed further issues with mismatches involving Colombian adoptees, citing a lack of proper oversight by the program’s producers. A subsequent investigation commissioned by KRO-NCRV found that "the program relied on the information provided in documentation from the searchers" and had "done minimal verification."
Five other adopted individuals have also filed lawsuits against the broadcaster for the consequences of these errors.
Following the initial revelations, KRO-NCRV offered all past participants the opportunity to undergo DNA testing. Despite the cancellation of the program, the broadcaster assured that it would continue discussions with affected individuals about how they could provide emotional and financial support.
Last fall, "Spoorloos" underwent a reformatting, expanding its scope to include reunions of people who had lost touch with family members, in addition to adoption stories.
