Netherlands Netherlands - Maarsbergen - WhtFem 12-15 - 'Het Heulmeisje' - Poss German - Oct'76

[worldwatcher]

Funny, I just yesterday thought about her... it should be possible to identify her... but DNA genealogy in Europe is super limited, so I am afraid we will not know her name any time soon, unless someone comes forward. Which if abuse was involved, is unlikely...

Let's hope LE entered her DNA:
"In the last 5 years, a number of European countries have successfully introduced national databases holding the DNA profiles from suspected and convicted criminal offenders as well as from biological stain materials from unsolved crime cases."

Criminal DNA databases: the European situation - PubMed
P M Schneider et al. Forensic Sci Int. 2001.

 

[Susikatze]

I doubt there is more than MtDNA and DNA databases of some criminals.
European data and personal rights protection laws are extremely strict and genetic genealogy is virtually banned. Plus, the commercial dna companies have very few Europeans, so even if we were to get an autosomal DNA profile and do genetic genealogy, it would show distant relatives only.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

577UFNET

 

[theshadow45]

“Het Heulmeisje” has been unidentified for 46 years today.

 

[ZaZara]

https://www.telegraaf.nl/nieuws/348...heulmeisje-in-1976-ik-ben-haar-nooit-vergeten


Melissa found the murdered Heulmeisje in 1976: 'I have never forgotten her'


As a 9-year-old, Melissa van de Waerdt and her father made a gruesome discovery. They found the dead body of a girl. Her identity was never established; she is known as the Heulmeisje (Heul Girl). Melissa wants to honour her memory next week. She finds the idea intolerable that her story will go unacknowledged.

October 24, 1976 is an autumn day like last weekend. With lots of clouds and a temperature hovering around ten degrees. After dinner, the Van de Waerdt family goes for a walk around the block. Because they live in the outskirts of Maarsbergen, they know the woods adjacent to the A12 motorway well. When father, mother and their two daughters have only just set off, they smell a heavy odour of rot displacing the sweet smell of newly fallen autumn leaves.

"At first we thought it was a dead dog that had been hit on the motorway," Melissa says. As she and her father set off towards the smell, the two quickly stumbled upon the naked body of a girl. She is lying on her back across the path. The remains have been hastily covered with some branches, but because the leaves have let go, they are clearly visible. Melissa's father gently pushes against the girl's head with a branch and sees that she is no longer alive. The family rushes home in an era without mobile phones to call the police.

With this phone call, the longest-running cold case investigation in our country begins. Because after the discovery, no one has a clue who the girl is, nowhere is this person unaccounted for, and after it becomes clear that the remains are not of a missing teenager from the region, the state of affairs has not changed in 2022. The dead person in the forest was named the Heulmeisje; the Heul was the - now closed - car park where she was found nearby.

Thanks to advancing investigation techniques over the years, the police do know more about her origins. The Heul girl is probably from what was West Germany at the time, more precisely the Ruhr region. She also turns out not to be eighteen, as the investigators initially thought, but rather 12 to 15 years old. They manage to make a dna profile of her. This would make it possible to carry out a large-scale family investigation, but so far this has not happened, despite several promises.

That she made such a shocking discovery as a young girl did not cause Melissa van de Waerdt any trauma. "Children are flexible, they quickly move on to the order of the day," she explains. At the same time, the case also never ceased to bother her. Certainly not as Melissa grew older and realised that the steps she was taking in her life were not for the girl that was almost her age.

"Finishing school, having children, making choices in your life, whether they are good or bad, but I was able to do all that; she was not," Van de Waerdt says at the Maarn General Cemetery where the nameless victim is buried under a simple stone. An inscribed boulder that was placed there as recently as 2020 after a local initiative. The Heulmeisje has not yet been forgotten, according to De Waerdt, this is also evidenced by the figurines, photos and hugs she occasionally sees at the grave when she lays flowers there.


At the same time, she notices that a growing number of people no longer have any idea about the Heulmeisje and her sad story. At the police, detectives who worked on the case are retiring, staff of a funeral home that has offices at the cemetery knew nothing. Despite a lot of media attention, the Heulmeisje is in danger of slowly disappearing from the collective memory. A thought that the woman who found her cannot bear. That is why Melissa van de Waerdt is organising a vigil on 11 November, Lights Day, between four and six in the afternoon, where people can light a candle at the grave in Maarn.

"That's the least I can do," Van de Waerdt believes. "At the time, she was buried almost without any special ceremony. My father drove with a detective to the florist to get a bouquet of flowers to put on the grave. Now such a case would bring about a silent march, but back then it was all different. I haven't forgotten her, a child buried far from home and family, and I hope others haven't either. We must not let that happen."


BBM

 

[worldwatcher]

“Together with her father, she is the finder of the corpse of a child, which we later called the Heulgirl. Het Heulmeisje was 13, 14 or 15 years old when she died. Her cause of death has never been known. Research has shown that she probably grew up in Germany. The last months of her life she was fed one-sided food. This could indicate poverty or kidnapping.”
”Melissa says her parents were stunned and shocked after the discovery. The murdered child just lay straight, she had been put there. The corpse was in a state of decomposition and lay under branches, she describes. Her father tried with a stick to see what was going on. The movement made Melissa see the girl's hair slide off the skull. “As a child I was aware of what I had found. But I didn't have that much of a problem as a kid. I had no fear, it was kind of an exciting event.”

DNA research
The DNA research into the identity of the Heul girl has been halted for years. The DNA of the child is known, but in the Netherlands searching for a match with relatives in the databases is no longer a priority. In Germany, privacy laws stand in the way of a search in the DNA databases. Melissa: “With that DNA you have a golden key in your hands, but now the lock. I want the meeting at the grave on November 11 to also be a signal to Germany. That her case, literally and figuratively, will once again be highlighted.”
Melissa uit Amerongen roept op: ‘Laten we met zoveel mogelijk mensen kaarsjes branden voor Heulmeisje’

Article date 8 april, 2020
German match
In 2016, police investigator Wim Perlot announced that a large-scale kinship investigation would take place in Germany and the Netherlands on the basis of the DNA just obtained. The DNA of the Heulmeisje is placed next to databases with the DNA profiles that are known to the police. This makes it possible to search for the girl's relatives. Perlot said at the time: "I will only really cheer when we get a match from Germany." At the time, the police said that the Germans wanted to cooperate with the investigation, but that turned out not to be the case.
Six years later, the police say: "German law does not allow kinship research at all." According to the police, this makes it difficult to organize kinship research in Germany. It would only be possible if the Dutch police have more clues about the identity of the girl. It was also difficult in the Netherlands. Police spokesperson Suzanne Lesquillier: "According to the Scientific Bureau of the Public Prosecution Service, kinship research was not possible in the Netherlands in the first instance because of the statute of limitations of the case."
The Public Prosecution Service announces that the process has indeed started, but that the examining magistrate still has to give permission for the investigation. At the moment, no DNA has been compared yet.
Missing children
According to Lesquillier, tips are still regularly received about the Heulgirl from Germany, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Switzerland and Croatia. Het Heulmeisje is also regularly linked to missing children, especially in Germany, such as the then 15-year-old Andrea Frischholz, who disappeared in May 1976 in Flossenbürg, Germany. The police also say they have checked this tip and are convinced that Andrea is not the Heul girl. It is not clear when the police expect the current DNA research to yield results.”
Politie start na zes jaar eindelijk met grootschalig dna-onderzoek naar Heulmeisje, maar niet in Duitsland

Article date May 10th,2022
Province of Utrecht - The large-scale kinship investigation into the identity of the Heul girl has still not started.

“The project is not given priority by the Public Prosecution Service. Also in Germany there is no active investigation, that is not allowed by the privacy law. A search was made for family in a separate DNA file of missing persons, but that did not yield a match.
A lot of perseverance is needed to gain clarity about the status of the investigation into the girl. The various parties involved in the investigation regularly contradict each other. Moreover, there is confusion about the terms, such as a 'relationship investigation'. It will take weeks to find out the status of the investigation into this crime.”

Onderzoek naar identiteit Heulmeisje ligt stil, 'geen prioriteit' voor OM

 

[ZaZara]

46 jaar geleden werd ze dood gevonden, nu wordt het Heulmeisje herdacht: ‘Dat verdient ze’

46 years ago she was found dead, now the Heulmeisje is being remembered: 'She deserves this'

The mysterious 'Heulmeisje' was commemorated at her grave at the General Cemetery in Maarn on Friday evening, 11 November, in beautiful manner. Candles were lit and people paused to pay tribute to the girl whose identity remains unknown.

The finder, Melissa van de Waerdt, who was 7 years old at the time, still thinks every day about the lifeless child she found, and she says there is a whole generation of people who do not know the story of the Heulmeisje. That is why she called on people to come to the grave of Het Heulmeisje in Maarn on 11 November.

'That is Lights Day, the day when we can light a candle for her. The best thing would be to do it together with as many people as possible. This child, who must have family somewhere, who was found far from home all alone, should be remembered. She deserves that.

With her appeal, she hopes to send a signal 'to Germany' at the same time, urging them to actively start investigating the identity of the Heulmeisje again. ''We have the golden key, her dna, in our hands. Now we need the lock.'

BBM


I fail to see why the involvement of the German Police is so important. The link with Germany is weak IMO. It was based on isotope analysis, which is known to be amiss often. Also, the girl would have been from Eastern European origin, and a recent arrival in Germany. Why would her (extended) family still be living in the Eiffel region or at all?

 

[worldwatcher]

Police make ultimate attempt to identify 22 murdered women

"The Dutch, German and Belgian police have enlisted the help of Interpol in an ultimate attempt to identify the 22 girls and women who died. The women were almost certainly murdered. They presumably come from other countries, so it has never been possible to identify them. It is the first time that Interpol has shared information about unidentified deceased persons with the public.

A campaign has now started via Interpol, with which a lot of information about the cases is shared in the hope that someone recognizes the women. For example, photos of jewelery and clothing belonging to the murdered women can be seen on the site of the international police organisation. Facial reconstructions are also shown."

"Nine women were found dead in the Netherlands between 1976 and 2005. One of the matters that draws attention to is that of the so-called Heul girl. She was found dead near the former parking lot De Heul along the A12."

SBM & BBM from GT:
Politie doet ultieme poging om 22 vermoorde vrouwen te identificeren

Interpol :
"INTERPOL has published a Black Notice for each victim; these alerts are for police only so they are not public. But here we have shared details of each case, including facial reconstruction images and other potential identifiers, in the hope that someone might recognize them..."
Operation Identify Me
Interpol

ETA - specific link to Heulmeisje:
Heulmeisje

 

[Melt71]

Interpol also recently - within the last couple of years - implemented its own law enforcement DNA dbase “iFamilia” which is immensely useful where the next of kin is in a different country than where their family member disappeared and would otherwise need to upload into multiple databases if their family member went missing in Europe. Most of Europe doesn’t yet permit genetic genealogy.

 

[worldwatcher]

Interpol also recently - within the last couple of years - implemented its own law enforcement DNA dbase “iFamilia” which is immensely useful where the next of kin is in a different country than where their family member disappeared and would otherwise need to upload into multiple databases if their family member went missing in Europe. Most of Europe doesn’t yet permit genetic genealogy.

Just read this:

OM wants to solve cold cases with the help of DNA database family trees​

" The Public Prosecution Service (OM) and the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) will use genealogical DNA databases to solve deadlocked criminal cases. In the short term, the Public Prosecution Service and the NFI hope to start a pilot in which the method will be used in two unsolved cold case cases.

If that happens, it will be the first time in the Netherlands. Before the pilot starts, the method will first have to be submitted to the court. According to the Public Prosecution Service, current legislation makes it possible to use this method. Nevertheless, the judge will be asked whether this is also permitted for these two specific cases.

If the judge has agreed to this, the pilot will start with two cases in which DNA material is available from an unknown suspect or DNA from a victim of a crime whose identity the police and the Public Prosecution Service still do not know."

To read further, you can translate from this website:
OM wil coldcases oplossen met hulp van DNA-databank familiestambomen

^There is also criticism mentioned, about the comparison of different dates and legal system between the US and the Netherlandsis also critism, about the comparison of different dates and legal system between the US and the Netherlands (EU)^

 

[JennieM]

Identify Me: NL01 - The girl on the parking lot

Operation Identify Me: Seeking the names of unidentified victims of murder

www.interpol.int

INTERPOL Black Notice: Operation Identify Me - Police search for the names of 22 women murdered

Operation Identify Me is a public appeal to identify 22 women, believed to have been murdered in Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands, but whose identity was never found. Most are cold cases; women who died 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years ago. Despite extensive police investigations, these women...

www.websleuths.com

Operation Identify Me: Seeking the names of unidentified victims of murder
Case name: The girl on the parking lot
Case code: 2023-NL01

 

[JennieM]

• Date of death (estimated): Summer or Autumn 1976
• Date of discovery: 24 October 1976
• Location: The Netherlands: Former parking lot De Heul, alongside the A12 motorway in the direction of Arnhem, near Maarsbergen
• Sex: Female
• Estimated year of birth: 1956 – 1963
• Estimated age: Between 13 and 20 years old
• Height: 150 - 165 cm
• Skin tone: Probably light-skinned
• Hair colour: Auburn
• Eye colour: Unknown
• Clothing: No clothing found
• Tattoos, birth marks, scars: Unknown
• Jewellery: None found

The case​

On Sunday 24 October 1976, hikers were walking near the former parking lot De Heul, alongside the A12 motorway near Maarsbergen, between Utrecht and Arnhem in the Netherlands. Hidden under soil and branches, they found the body of a woman, probably a young woman.

At the time, the police linked the case to a missing persons case from the same area. In 2006, the case was found to have been incorrectly linked, after which an investigation into the identity of the young woman was started. The police would like to hear from people who think they may know who the woman is.

Characteristics​

The results of isotope investigation indicate a high likelihood that the girl or young woman came from Germany. She was probably born in the late 1950s or early 1960s and grew up in the Rhine valley area, the area south of Cologne and Bonn.

There are also indications that she may have come from the border area between Germany and Czech Republic (the region between Dresden and Prague). Other areas of origin cannot be ruled out.

Over a two-year period in the mid 1970s, the woman probably moved in stages from Eastern Europe (possibly Poland or Ukraine) to Western Europe (possibly Germany or the Netherlands). During this time, she may have known a period of malnutrition (probably during the last 14 months of her life).

Contact
If you have any information regarding the possible identity of this person, please contact the Dutch national police via the form below.

You can also contact them and view this case on their national police website.

Identify Me: NL01 - The girl on the parking lot

Operation Identify Me: Seeking the names of unidentified victims of murder

www.interpol.int

 

[JennieM]

Facial reconstruction of victim


Aerial photo of location where victim was found


Aerial photo of location where victim was found



Aerial photo of location where victim was found



Aerial photo of location where victim was found

Identify Me: NL01 - The girl on the parking lot

Operation Identify Me: Seeking the names of unidentified victims of murder

www.interpol.int

 

[worldwatcher]

I just came across two articles,that mentioned the ruled out DNA test of the HeulMeisje:
The first is German missing girl (who is missing since 1975)
The second is a missing Dutch girl (who disappeared on the night of first and second of September)
Ruled out :
Pauline Sybillle Breuer
"Die DNA von Heulmeisje hat am Ende nicht mit der von Pauline Sybille Breuer übereingestimmt."
"Heulmeisje" – Wenn Tote keine Namen haben
Marjo Winkens
DNA-onderzoek: Heulmeisje is niet Marjo Winkens

 

[worldwatcher]

Police receive 11 tips about Heul girl

"Since the start of the 'Identify Me' campaign, more than two hundred tips have been received so far. According to the Dutch police, there are several possible names of victims. The organizations speak of a "hopeful result" so far, but emphasize that more information is still badly needed. The tips received will be investigated by the detectives in the near future. Tonight the TV program Opsporing Verzocht will pay attention to the search."

Politie krijgt 11 tips binnen over Heulmeisje
Opsporing Verzocht

 

[ktemp]

Anybody ever rule out Mandy Hollanders? It is only about an hour drive, almost straight shot to the dropsite from where she went missing.

 

[Bit of hope]

Anybody ever rule out Mandy Hollanders? It is only about an hour drive, almost straight shot to the dropsite from where she went missing.

Interesting and welcome.

For convenience for those who are interested to know more about this girl. Franse fantast ‘bekent’ moord op verdwenen Maddy Hollanders

In Tours, France, a 49-year-old man has turned himself in to the police as the murderer of Maddy Hollanders. The teenage girl disappeared in Antwerp in 1976 and was never found.

The disappearance of Maddy Hollanders on August 31, 1976 on the Left Bank of Antwerp is the oldest file of the Missing Persons Cell. When the French police reported to the Cell that a guy stated that he "killed Maddy with a butcher's knife during a satanic ritual in his parents' house", it was investigated very seriously. But the investigators soon had to come to the conclusion that the account of the self-proclaimed killer made no sense. He never came to Belgium, has no connection with the victim and makes incoherent statements.
<snipped>
The main suspect in the disappearance of Maddy Hollanders remains serial killer Claudy Pierret for the police. He is the last man to see the girl alive. But his involvement could never be proven and he himself continues to deny. The case has since expired.

I'm very intrigued about the last sentence. What do they mean with the case has expired?? How can a missing person's case expire? Could that mean she didn't go into the system when DNA-databases were created and comparisons were never done?

 

[Carovb5]

Anybody ever rule out Mandy Hollanders? It is only about an hour drive, almost straight shot to the dropsite from where she went missing.

Do you mean Maddy Hollanders?
Normally missing & found peoples dna are tested against eachother in Belgium & Holland. Heulmeisje was excavated for dna. Maddy has had a lot of press the last 10 years because a serial killer from back in those days was arrested. I’m not 100% sure but i guess they have Maddy’s dna too. So they would automatically be tested against eachother…

 

[Carovb5]

Interesting and welcome.

For convenience for those who are interested to know more about this girl. Franse fantast ‘bekent’ moord op verdwenen Maddy Hollanders

In Tours, France, a 49-year-old man has turned himself in to the police as the murderer of Maddy Hollanders. The teenage girl disappeared in Antwerp in 1976 and was never found.

The disappearance of Maddy Hollanders on August 31, 1976 on the Left Bank of Antwerp is the oldest file of the Missing Persons Cell. When the French police reported to the Cell that a guy stated that he "killed Maddy with a butcher's knife during a satanic ritual in his parents' house", it was investigated very seriously. But the investigators soon had to come to the conclusion that the account of the self-proclaimed killer made no sense. He never came to Belgium, has no connection with the victim and makes incoherent statements.
<snipped>
The main suspect in the disappearance of Maddy Hollanders remains serial killer Claudy Pierret for the police. He is the last man to see the girl alive. But his involvement could never be proven and he himself continues to deny. The case has since expired.

I'm very intrigued about the last sentence. What do they mean with the case has expired?? How can a missing person's case expire? Could that mean she didn't go into the system when DNA-databases were created and comparisons were never done?

It means he can’t be tried for her murder. After 20 years a case expires.

The last few years they’re trying to change this. Sorry, article is in dutch.

https://www.tijd.be/politiek-economie/belgie/federaal/geen-verjaring-meer-voor-bepaalde-gevallen-van-moord-en-roofmoord/10436735.html

 

[Carovb5]

Anybody ever rule out Mandy Hollanders? It is only about an hour drive, almost straight shot to the dropsite from where she went missing.

The policewoman answering the mails of the cold case unit is super friendly, so if you wonder if they checked them against each other, you can mail them.