Dutch TV show reaches deal with adoptive kids reunited with wrong birth families

Dutch broadcaster KRO-NCRV has reached a settlement with former participants of the television program Spoorloos who were mistakenly matched with the wrong families in Colombia. The agreement was announced in a joint statement issued by the broadcaster and De Vries Van Spanje, the law firm representing the participants. No details of the settlement have been made public.

“For 35 years, we produced Spoorloos with the conviction that everyone has the right to know where they come from,” said KRO-NCRV media director Sandra Hilster. “We deeply regret that mistakes were made in the past, this should never have happened, and our sincerest apologies are in order.”

Hilster added that the broadcaster and the affected participants have managed to reach an agreement “with sensitivity to the individual situations and the emotions involved.” She said the broadcaster has made efforts to acknowledge and address the harm caused by the mismatches “as far as possible” and wished the participants strength as they process this chapter in their lives.

Attorneys Royce de Vries and Annemiek van Spanje said their clients are satisfied with how the broadcaster has responded. “Although we have agreed not to disclose details, we can say on behalf of our clients that they are pleased with how KRO-NCRV has engaged with them,” the lawyers stated.

They also informed the court that there is no longer a need to hear witnesses, effectively bringing the legal proceedings to an end. The case had reached the courts earlier after attempts to reach a settlement failed.

In 2022, investigative journalist Kees van der Spek revealed on his RTL 5 program Oplichters Aangepakt that several Spoorloos participants had been wrongly matched with biological parents in Colombia. The incidents dated back roughly 20 years. Following the revelations, Spoorloos launched an internal investigation, which confirmed that incorrect matches had occurred, though the broadcaster found no evidence of deliberate wrongdoing.

In February of this year, KRO-NCRV announced that it would discontinue Spoorloos.