Body of Zeeland man, 21, exhumed; New info suggests 2015 death was not an accident
The police are exhuming the body of 21-year-old Daniël van Vliet from Zierkizee, whose body was found in a local canal three days after he went missing in 2015. His death was ruled a fatal accident, but the police have new information that suggests “third parties may have been involved.” The police currently don’t suspect premeditated murder, PZC reported.
Van Vliet was last seen at the former café De Troubadour on Lange Nobelstraat in Zierikzee on 4 August 2015. He was reported missing when he didn’t return home that evening. Three days later, his body was found in the canal near the Nobelpoort in Zierikzee. The police saw no signs of foul play at the time and closed the investigation, concluding that the young man died in an accidental drowning.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) decided to reopen the investigation into Van Vliet’s death after receiving new information from the young man’s parents. At the end of January, the Oosterscheldebekken police issued a call for witnesses and received various responses. The authorities consider the new evidence received serious enough to exhume the young man’s remains and perform an autopsy. The autopsy should provide more clarity about the cause of his death.
PZC recently spoke to a witness who said he saw Van Vliet “beaten up” by three men of approximately his age on the evening of his disappearance. It is unclear whether this is the information the police are acting on.
Police spokesperson Mireille Aalders explained to the newspaper that the OM does not grant permission for an autopsy when there is no direct cause. At the time of Van Vliet’s death, the police had no reason to suspect foul play. “Only a doctor from the GGD [the municipal health service] was present at the time, because all indications pointed to a fatal accident.”
The protocol has since changed, and the police are now routinely called in when a death is reported. This allows them to immediately consult with forensic investigators and the doctor regarding any suspicious circumstances.
According to Aalders, a body getting exhumed is “certainly very exceptional in Zeeland” and only happens if there is a “strong suspicion” that it will yield results.
The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) will perform the autopsy. After taking samples of tissue and other bodily material, the body will be reburied. Depending on the extent of the investigations, results may take up to three months.
