Body parts that washed up on Texel were from two different men; Still unidentified
The police were unable to identify the victims whose body parts washed up on the Den Burg-Westerslag beach on Texel in October. However, the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) did confirm that they were of two different men. The remains have been buried in an anonymous grave on the island, the police said on Friday.
On Friday, October 6, passersby found the lower part of a back with pants still on and later a foot with a shoe on the beach in Texel. The police found a phone in the pants pocket, but the device was too damaged by the seawater to contribute to owner or user data.
The NFI did further investigation on the body parts. It confirmed that they belonged to two different men and established a DNA profile for them. The police compared the DNA with profiles in the database for missing persons and anonymous deaths, but it yielded no results.
“The police will now conduct a further technical investigation into the origin of the men, where they grew up, a so-called isotope investigation,” the police said. “The outcome of this investigation will take several months.”
Beachcombers on Texel believe the victims were asylum seekers trying to make the dangerous crossing to the United Kingdom. They regularly find items belonging to asylum seekers washed ashore.
