Men who stole toys from Amber Alert kids' memorial released from pre-trial detention

The two men who are suspected of stealing stuffed animals from the memorial site of Jeffrey and Emma, the two children who were abducted by their father before dying when the car they were in landed in the water, will be released from custody under certain conditions on Friday. The Public Prosecution Service has said that the two will be released “before the weekend” to await their trial in freedom. Both suspects will appear in front of the civil judge on June 10.

The two 20-year-old men from Leeuwarden and Winschoten are suspected of destruction, theft, and violence “against the memorial place” in Winschoten. There is also a third suspect, but he is underage and has already been released. His case will be dealt with differently.

The bodies of Jeffrey (10) and Emma (8) were identified on May 21. The car that they had been in, driven by their father, had been plunged into the water in Winschoten just 15 minutes after the father had abducted the children.

Police had issued an Amber Alert for the missing children on May 17 after they had found a note from the father which seemed to signal that he was preparing to harm the children and himself.

Hundreds of people attended the memorial for the children on Wednesday in Beerta, Groningen. Over 116,000 euros was raised via donations for the funeral of the children.