Suspect in Rotterdam Amber Alert says he was just providing shelter from extreme cold

A 69-year-old man who had been arrested for giving shelter to missing 10-year-old Wendy in his Rotterdam-Zuid home was released on Monday, according to police. He is still suspected of taking the child away from the authorities, as it is illegal to house a minor without parental permission.

The police had previously stated that there were no signs of any other offenses, and that assessment has not changed. An Amber Alert was issued during the evening hours of Saturday, leading into Sunday, after the girl went missing.

Authorities were highly concerned for Wendy, given the extreme cold and the complete lack of any trace. The police treated the case as serious and did not rule out the possibility of abduction. Wendy was last seen around 1 p.m. when she left home to walk to her parents’ shop, but she never arrived. The route she usually takes is short, which increased the police’s concern.

The girl spent the night with the man from Saturday to Sunday after running away from her home in Rotterdam-Zuid on Saturday afternoon, police said. Her condition at the time is unclear, a spokesperson added.

Around 6 p.m., she approached the 69-year-old man while he was walking his dog and asked for help. Due to the cold, he brought her inside and gave her food and drink. The man said he had planned to return her home the next day.

On Sunday morning, a neighbor who spotted her in a house alerted the police. The man's house was around 30 minutes away from her parents’ home.