Hundreds of people attend memorial for children Emma and Jeffrey in Beerta

Hundreds of people attended the commemoration of Jeffrey and Emma, the two children who were kidnapped by their father before they lost their lives. The commemoration took place Wednesday night in Beerta, Groningen, where the children lived for years.

Many people brought red and white roses with them. They were all stood near the route that the memorial motorcade took through the village, where the flags were all at half-mast.

The children lost their lives on May 17 after their father had taken them in his car. Police became alarmed and sent out an Amber Alert after they had found a note from the father, which led them to think that he wanted to harm the children and himself.

The bodies of the children and their father were found on Tuesday, May 20, in a car in the lake near the Renselweg in Winschoten. It was later discovered that the vehicle with the man and the children in it had ended up in the water 15 minutes after he had abducted the children.

Schoolchildren from the nearby area also attended the memorial. Pupils from Delfzijl, where Jeffrey (10) and Emma (8) recently started school, were also in attendance. They were brought to Beerta in a touring car.

The memorial motorcade with the bodies of Jeffrey and Emma inside led the route, and it was followed by a bus with close relatives. The mayor of Oldambt, which Beerta falls under, Cora-Yfke Sikkema, and Eemsdelta’s mayor, Ben Visser, were awaiting the vehicle.

The back of the motorcade was made of glass, which made the coffins visible. One coffin was pink, and one was light blue. There were many flowers and stuffed animals on top of the coffins, an ANP reporter saw.

Bystanders lined up to march behind the bus. Several family members were also walking behind the bus, including Jeffrey and Emma’s half-brother. Marleen Duits, who initiated a citizen search during the disappearance and later set up a crowdfunding campaign for the children's farewell, was also walking in this group. She said the turnout was "overwhelming," and admitted that for her as a mother of two young children it is also difficult. One of her children was in Emma's class.

Halfway through the route, the vehicle stopped shortly in front of the school that Emma and Jeffrey attended. This was met with a period of applause.

Several people had flares with them. Some people laid or threw flowers on the memorial motorcade. Some people could be seen crying after they had done so.

The march, which also included number of aldermen, members of the Veterans Search Team and residents, ended just after 7 p.m. at the church in the Hoofdstraat of Beerta. The church bells rang for a long time when the motorcade arrived there. A large image of Jeffrey and Emma was shown. The school children present, with their parents, had roses in rainbow colors with them.

Suspects prosecuted for stealing from children’s memorial

This comes hours after it was reported that two 20-year-old men who are suspected of stealing stuffed animals from a memorial place for the children in Winschoten will be tried by summary justice. A magistrate will rule on the case on June 10.

The two suspects are from Leeuwarden and Winschoten. They are suspected of destruction, theft, and violence. The charge of violence is due to the violence against the burial site.

A third suspect was also involved, but he is underage, and therefore his case will be treated differently.