Police discover foot of long-term missing woman in same area as teen’s remains
Police have announced that they found a foot inside a shoe belonging to 75-year-old Marijke de Groot, the discovery was made in the same area that the foot of Yoran, a teen who had been missing since 2023 has been found in. Marijke has been missing since March 2024 from Oud-Beijerland. At the time, her bicycle was discovered resting against a bench on the Boven Havendijk in 's‑Gravendeel, with her wallet and cards still inside the bike bag. While the police just officially announced the findings, Marijke’s shoe and foot had already been recovered in January.
Police launched a large‑scale search on Monday, including deploying the National Underwater Search Team (LTOZ) and scent‑tracking dogs, in hopes of finding additional clues after the discoveries. Despite the ongoing efforts, the search has not produced any further body parts or new key evidence.
Marijke has two children, a daughter of about 50, and a son around 57 years old. In a joint statement, they told Rijnmond in 2024, “It’s like she vanished from the face of the Earth. As if she was sucked up into a spaceship.” They were deeply affected by the disappearance, with no sign of foul play, nor any indication of suicide.
“You wake up with it and go to bed with it,” her family said a month after Van Weel went missing. “You want to find her, even though she may be dead. She is our mother, and we want to give her a beautiful funeral.”
The shoe containing the foot of Yoran, missing for more than two years, was discovered on Monday, March 2, in a branch of the Beneden-Merwede river. DNA analysis confirmed on Friday, March 6, that the remains belonged to him.
Yoran went missing on the night of December 23–24, 2023, following an evening at the youth center ‘De Pomp’ in Almkerk. His bike was later discovered on the Merwedebrug near Gorinchem, a place far from his usual route home to Sleeuwijk. In 2025, Yoran’s father released a book about the disappearance, titled “Son, Where Are You?”
Through Instagram, Yoran’s family said the discovery offers a “small measure of clarity,” though many questions remain. Both families are being assisted by a family investigator and Victim Support Netherlands.
