Third person detained in connection with Dalfsen child abduction

The police arrested a third suspect this week for the kidnapping of two children in Dalfsen earlier this year, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) has confirmed after a report from RTV Oost. The woman, a 42-year-old from Enschede, is suspected of complicity in the kidnapping. Earlier, the biological parents of the children had already been arrested for kidnapping the children from their foster family.

The woman was released after questioning, but she remains a suspect in the case. According to RTV Oost, she is the sister of the biological mother. The OM would not confirm this report.

The children, an 11-year-old boy and a six-year-old girl, had been living with a foster family in Dalfsen, after they had suffered long-term abuse by their biological parents, according to RTV Oost.

An Amber Alert was issued on March 31 regarding the disappearance of the two children. They had been last seen at the train station in the town in Overijssel, and there were grave concerns about their well-being.

The children were found in a home in Oudenaarde, Belgium, during the evening hours of March 31, leading into April 1, in the presence of their biological parents. Sources close to the investigation have indicated that a longstanding custody dispute between the biological parents and other family members may have motivated the abduction.

Upon discovery, the children were examined by medical professionals and found to be in stable condition. They are currently under the care of child protection services while the investigation continues. Social workers confirmed the children were not physically harmed but are receiving psychological support due to the trauma.

The parents are still in custody and will appear in court for the first time in a preparatory hearing in one month. The father, a 54-year-old attorney from Enschede, had been advised that the best way to earn back the custody of his children was in Belgium.