14/01/2024
In 1995, Nicole van den Hurk, a 15-year-old, left her grandmother's home to go to work by bike. Tragically, she never reached her destination. Her bicycle was later discovered in a nearby river. Intense search efforts ensued, leading to the recovery of her backpack approximately a week later. Her body was eventually found near a road, with stabbing identified as the cause of death.
Despite numerous leads and a reward offer, the case remained unsolved. Among the leads was an unidentified man's phone call to police claiming knowledge of the murderer, but the call ended abruptly and couldn't be traced.
Nicole's stepbrother, Andy, who was initially a suspect but later cleared, remained hopeful for a resolution. In 2012, Andy was arrested again after confessing to the murder in a Facebook post. This led to his arrest and extradition to The Netherlands. However, he was released after five days due to insufficient evidence, as his confession was the only lead against him.
Andy explained his false confession as a desperate measure to reignite the investigation. His actions prompted the police to finally conduct DNA testing on Nicole's body. This testing revealed male DNA that did not match Andy.
In January 2014, a new development occurred when a 46-year-old man with a history of r**e was arrested. His DNA matched the sample found on Nicole. His former girlfriend corroborated this by stating he had left their home on the afternoon and evening of Nicole's murder following an argument.
After a lengthy trial, he was eventually convicted. The suspect pleaded insanity and was sentenced to prison for the lesser crime of r**e.
By lying to the police, Andy brought justice for his murdered sister.
Credit: Fasc1nate.