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Marianne Vaatstra – Details about the murder investigation

Marianne Vaatstra was raped and murdered in 1999. In November 2012, a suspect from Oudwoude was arrested. During the press conference, the chief, public prosecutor and mayor Kollumerland give a statement about the arrest of the suspect and the course of the trial. Some details emerge in the press conference. The suspect later turns out to be the murderer, but this is not yet certain at the time of the press conference.

More clear about the circumstances

  • Press conference with news
  • Match after DNA kinship research
  • Family of the suspect
  • Lawyer for the suspect
  • Murder investigation
  • Social Media
  • Media Prize for Bauke Vaatstra

 

Press conference with news

A press conference will take place on Monday, November 19, 2012 at 6 p.m. in the police control room in Drachten.
The press conference will be given by Annette Bronsfoort Chief Public Prosecutor from Leeuwarden, Nathalie Kramers Chief of Police and Bearn Bilker Mayor Kollumerland. Annette Bronsvoort reports that the double check of the DNA profile matches the suspect. The suspect will be brought before the examining magistrate on Thursday, November 22, 2012.

Match after DNA kinship research

The DNA relationship research has yielded a one hundred percent match. The second investigation, the double check, which took place on the day of the press conference, also confirms the match. The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) needs approximately 6 hours to process the research material. That is why the press conference was held at the end of the afternoon of November 19, 2012.

Family lineage

A family line was already established during the kinship research. Around thirty family members participated in the study. S.’s son did not participate; he is too young and therefore does not fit into the target group. S.’s father did not participate either. He is too old and does not fit the perpetrator profile because of his age. S. voluntarily decided to participate in the study. When the family line was discovered, the DNA of that family was zoomed in even further and an autosomal profile was created, which is unique for each person. Ultimately, the research focused on S.

Mayor Bearn Bilker

Mayor Bearn Bilker of Kollumerland himself lives in Oudwoude. He is shocked that the suspect comes from his own community and even his own village. The mayor, together with his colleague Mayor Arie Aalberts of Dantumadeel, will hold two private information evenings for residents on Tuesday evening, November 20, 2012, first in Oudwoude at 7 p.m. and then in Zwaagwesteinde at 8:45 p.m. Relief prevails, says Bilker. The arrest has a major impact in a village like Oudwoude.

Family of the suspect

The suspect has a wife and two young adult children. S.’s family is housed far outside the province of Friesland, in a quiet area, and is being supervised.

Lawyer for the suspect

Lawyer Bert de Boer has spoken to his client, but he will not make any statement on Monday, November 19, 2012, in the interest of his client and the investigation. The suspect is in complete restraint. This means that he may only have contact with his lawyer. De Boer has been assigned S. as a picket lawyer. On Tuesday, November 20, 2012, defense attorney Jan Vlug from Deventer will take over S.’s defense.

DNA

Since April 1, 2012, a DNA relationship test may only be conducted according to the law. The suspect could be arrested based on the DNA kinship test conducted in Kollumerland and the surrounding area. The DNA match is enough to raise suspicion. The suspect has not yet been proven guilty. This requires further investigation or a confession.

Murder investigation

Men who live within a radius of five kilometers from the crime scene and who were between sixteen and sixty years old thirteen years ago were invited for the DNA relationship test. Nearly 7,000 men from the Veenklooster area had cheek swab collected for that study. The genetic material from this research is kept separately by the NFI and will be destroyed if the Frisian Public Prosecution Service requests it.
In December 2012, the Public Prosecution Service in Leeuwarden reported that all the DNA of the men who participated in this investigation had been destroyed.

Preparing for arrest

The DNA match was already known on Wednesday, November 14, 2012. Justice and police then prepared the arrest. Sunday evening, November 18, 2012, was the appropriate time for the arrest. It went very quietly, even the neighbor didn’t notice the arrest. The search and interrogation of the suspect started on Monday afternoon, November 19, 2012.
Twelve detectives are working on the case. The street will remain closed until further notice.

Social Media

The police keep a close eye on social media to follow what is going on regarding this case.
More than three million people watched the press conference on television.

Media Prize for Bauke Vaatstra

In January 2013, Bauke Vaatstra received the 2012 Machiavelli Prize for his 13-year pressure on the media to keep his daughter’s murder under the spotlight until it was solved. The Machiavelli Foundation awards the prize every year to someone who has achieved something remarkable in the field of media and public communication.
Princess Maxima won the prize in 2011, and then national coach Bert van Marwijk in 2010.

read more

  • Marianne Vaatstra – Arrest of the murderer
  • Marianne Vaatstra – DNA relationship research
  • Marianne Vaatstra – Her brothers and sisters
  • Marianne Vaatstra – The punishment of Jasper S
  • Marianne Vaatstra – Jasper’s confession after DNA research