Family of missing children in Amber Alert have not given up hope

The family of the missing children, Jeffrey (10) and Emma (8), is at their wits' end, the half-brother of the children said on Tuesday. “We miss them so much. The only thing I can ask is: please keep looking, do not give up.” Police shared another photo of the children on Tuesday. The children were taken by their father on Saturday. He left a goodbye letter, which has led to fears for the lives of the children.

In a short statement, which the half-brother gave in front of the town hall in Delfzijl, he outlined that the family "doesn't know what to do anymore.” They are uncertain whether the children "are still alive.” The children were last on Saturday afternoon in Beerta, Groningen.

The community center Finnewold is the central point for the search for the children. The owner of the community center, Jarno Dingemans, said that there is a real “village feeling” in Finnewold. It is the base for the searching volunteers, and the disappearance of Jeffrey and Emma is the most talked-about subject in the vicinity.

Jeffrey and Emma's 67-year-old father is a regular at the community center and was sitting by the bar on Thursday and Friday, according to Dingemans. The father was said to be concerned about the two children who had not lived with him for two months.

The home that the children were staying at in Delfzijl was not suitable for them, according to the father, and he wanted them away from the place, Dingemans said. Police have been very concerned about the father and the children’s well-being after all three went missing. A goodbye letter from the father was found.

Finnewold is usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, but Dingemans opened the doors especially for the search party. “We have a major social function as a community centre."

The local supermarkets have also been contributing to the search. "Yesterday, the Spar provided food and drinks; today, catering will arrive from Poiesz." Volunteers can get coffee, tea, water, and a biscuit or apple from the terrace. Afterwards, Finnewold is offering a place to talk about the search and the disappearance.

Police added that the children would likely not be wearing the same clothing as was seen in the photo's that they released.

It was reported on Tuesday that German police have also began asking residents near the border to keep an eye out for the children as they may have been taken into the country. The village of Beerta, where the children are from, is a few kilometers away from the German border.