Car father used to kidnap two children drove into the water 15 minutes after abduction

The car in which the bodies of the children Emma and Jeffrey were found had ended up in the water at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday. This is around 15 minutes after their father had taken the children from Beerta in the vehicle, police have reported. The children likely passed away as a result of drowning.

"The detective team investigating the deaths of Jeffrey and Emma requested and viewed camera footage in a more targeted manner after finding the father's car. This showed that on Saturday 17 May 2025, this car ended up in the water in Winschoten at around 3:45 p.m. ," police said in a statement. The car was found in the water by Winschoten on Tuesday evening.

The police had visited the home of Emma and Jeffrey’s father the night before the kidnapping. According to the Dagblad van het Noorden, the children’s mother contacted the police because she feared that the father would harm her children due to the nature of the messages that he had sent. The officers saw no need to take action after visiting the home.

It was reported that the father was not happy with his children's living arrangements. He had reportedly told a friend of his that he was taking the children to "paradise." His friends had attempted to take his car keys off of him the evening before the kidnapping as they feared that he was going to do something that he would regret. However, the father used his reserve keys to drive away.

It was also reported on Thursday by the AD that the Health and Youth Care Inspectorate and Veilig Thuis Groningen are going to conduct an internal investigation after it was reported that both institutions had been made aware of the family’s situation prior to the kidnapping. Veilig Thuis Groningen has confirmed that it received reports of domestic violence committed by the father.

The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate later said it has not yet decided whether it will in fact carry out an investigation of its own. "Healthcare providers and Veilig Thuis are obliged to report calamities. That is what happened in this case," a spokesperson said. She did not want to share any further details, but explained that investigations by the inspectorate, or those supervised by the inspectorate, are intended "to learn and to improve matters."

Over 116,400 euros has been raised via crowdfunding for the funeral of Emma and Jeffrey. It is currently not known when the funeral will take place. The family has stated that they wish to keep the funeral private without any media present.