Abducted children from Dalfsen found safe in Belgium
The two children who were abducted from Dalfsen have been found in Belgium in good health, according to police. The children, a 6-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl, were discovered overnight in Oudenaarde, East Flanders, just south of Ghent, according to RTV Oost. Authorities are now working to transfer them back to legal custody.
The siblings had been living in a foster home in Dalfsen. After their disappearance, authorities issued an Amber Alert, the highest-level missing persons alert available to Dutch police. The urgent search led to a large-scale investigation under the direction of the Public Prosecution Service, which included a raid on a house in Enschede. The children's father, a 54-year-old lawyer, was reportedly suspected of orchestrating the abduction. Investigators are still examining the details of the case and have not yet released further information.
Residents of the Holtwiklanden neighborhood in Enschede had allegedly been alarmed by the father's increasingly unusual behavior. They told RTV Oost that he had been acting erratically in the days leading up to the abduction. On Sunday, he was seen parking his car in front of his house for hours, loading it with various items.
Neighbors described seeing him place a shovel and heavy trash bags into his car. "He kept looking around nervously. It was all very suspicious," one resident told Oost. Another recalled seeing him the night before, sitting in his car with the lights off for an extended period. "When we asked if he was okay, he just laughed strangely."
Police later confirmed on X that the raid on the Holtwiklanden house was connected to the abduction. "We are doing everything we can to bring the children to safety," authorities stated. "However, we cannot share specific details about the operation."
Neighbors described the father as having become increasingly withdrawn after the end of his relationship. Once a practicing lawyer who advertised himself as a "specialist with extensive knowledge," he had turned into a recluse over the past year. He rarely interacted with others, kept his curtains drawn, and showed little sign of activity, according to what the locals told Oost.
However, some noticed strange behavior in recent weeks. One resident recalled seeing him working outside his house in the middle of the night, seemingly laying tiles under bright construction lights. "It was bizarre," the neighbor said.
Authorities emphasized that public assistance played a crucial role in the search. "The Amber Alert led to a flood of tips and observations, and we sincerely thank everyone who helped us in this case," police said.
