Video: Man arrested after woman found dead in suspected murder in Leiderdorp
A woman was found dead Saturday evening in an apartment in Leiderdorp, and a man was arrested shortly afterward nearby, police said. Detectives are treating the case as a suspected murder and have begun questioning neighbors.
Police received a report of a violent incident at about 7:30 p.m. at a flat on the Bolderikkamp, a residential street in Leiderdorp. Officers who responded found the woman dead inside the apartment. A man was arrested in the immediate vicinity soon afterward and is being questioned as a suspect in her death, police reported.
The man and the victim were known to each other, a police spokesperson told NU.nl. No other people were present in the apartment at the time of the incident. Because of privacy concerns, police have not disclosed the nature of the relationship between the suspect and the victim.
The Hague police confirmed the death and arrest in a public statement, saying, “In a home on the Bolderikkamp in Leiderdorp, a woman died Saturday evening. Police have arrested a man. Detectives are conducting further investigation into the incident. We wish the relatives much strength.”
Leiderdorp Mayor Tjarda Struik said the municipality is closely involved and expressed condolences to the victim’s family. “Obviously, I, and the municipal executive, deeply sympathize with the family of the victim,” Struik said in a statement. She added, “Support for anyone who needs it is available.”
Police have again called on witnesses to come forward. Results of the neighborhood investigation are expected in the coming days.
The Bolderikkamp is a nearly 50-year-old, elongated apartment complex with many social housing units. The area has previously faced problems, including a wave of burglaries around the turn of the century, several stabbing incidents in later years, and an ongoing nuisance linked to a small number of residents.
Those issues led residents in late 2023 to send a strongly worded letter to housing corporation Rijnhart, which owns the building and has its headquarters in an adjacent property on the Bolderikkamp. The letter cited drug use, drug dealing, nighttime disturbances, and related nuisances and said children could not play safely outside.
Afterward, additional attention from social workers, community police officers, and welfare organizations was introduced. Residents reportedly say the situation gradually improved, and in recent years, the southern part of the Voorhof neighborhood developed a strong sense of community, with neighbors helping less mobile residents with groceries and jointly cleaning stairwells and galleries.
