Father of missing kids told friend that they were "going to paradise"
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Mirka, a friend of Klaas Bijl, who the police believe abducted his children Jeffrey (10) and Emma (8), saw him take the kids on Saturday, she told the Telegraaf. “He said they were going to paradise.” The police issued an Amber Alert for the missing kids on Sunday and have been fervently searching for them since. The police fear for their lives after finding a letter by Bijl indicating that he wanted to harm them and himself.
According to Mirka, Bijl left the children playing on a tablet at home in Beerta on Saturday and went to refuel his car in Germany. “Suddenly, Klaas came home and he was so different than before. He was angry and wanted to take the children with him,” she told the newspaper.
First, he told them that they were going to McDonald’s, Mirka said. “Jeffrey asked if I could come too. But then Klaas said that it was really not possible because they were going to paradise.” According to her, that was around 3:30 p.m., and Bijl was in a rush to get going. “I quickly grabbed Jeffrey’s shoes because he wasn’t even wearing them. I’m really worried because I haven’t heard anything since. When I call, his phone goes straight to voicemail.”
According to Mirka, Bijl was upset this weekend because he had to take the children back to their mother earlier than usual on Sunday. “That is normally in the afternoon, and had to be earlier. He thought that was terrible,” she said. “I hope that they just went somewhere and nothing bad happened.”
On Monday afternoon, around 220 people searched for Jeffrey and Emma around the Groningen municipality of Oldampt. The search was called off when it started to get dark. The children weren’t found, the organizer Coördinatie Platform Vermissing (CPV) told RTL Nieuws.
The volunteers searched an area of 500 by 500 meters on foot, by bike, and by car. They searched in collaboration with the police. “The reason is very sad, but it does give a sense of community,” a resident of Finsterwolde told the broadcaster.
On Monday, the police announced that they were very concerned for the children’s lives because of indications that Bijl wanted to kill them and himself. The police found a letter from the father that gave reason “to think that the children are in mortal danger.”
Earlier in the afternoon, the police said they found “traces” in the Carel Coenraadpolder that they were investigating. These were tire tracks that led into the water. The police used sonar boats to sweep the water, but did not find the children.
