Story By: Delano Langras, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
A sailor whose lifeless body was found on an uninhabited North Sea island in 1995 has finally been identified.
The man’s body was found in July 1995 on the uninhibited Dutch island of Razende Bol, also known as Noorderhaaks, located between the island of Texel and Holland’s northernmost point, the city of Den Helder.
After conducting a thorough investigation on the man’s boat including the fire extinguishers, stove, copper nails, as well as his clothing, nothing helped bring investigators any closer to discovering the sailor’s identity.
As a result, the man was anonymously buried on a cemetery in Den Helder.
Over the years, police have constantly kept an eye on the case, working on over 100 tip-offs which never led to a name.
A breakthrough was finally made in the summer this year when police circulated a press release to Swedish media after they realised the man was wearing a watch specifically made for the Swedish market and a label on his trousers indicated they were of Swedish origin.
A newspaper report elicited was spotted by a woman who recognised the sailor as her uncle and emailed the investigation team.
The Dutch police were then able to get in touch with the victim’s now adult children.
The man has now been identified as 59-year-old Hans from the city of Sundsvall in Sweden.
Officer John Welzenbagh, who had been working on the investigation for six years, told local media: “I was so excited that I was finally close to an answer.”
He added: “I just couldn’t sleep.”
Regarding the man’s daughters, he said: “All these years they lived in uncertainty with the unanswered question of what had happened to their father, why he no longer responded to contact requests.
“Due to special circumstances, they did not report their father’s disappearance in Sweden.”
Hans’s daughters are reportedly planning to visit the Netherlands in spring 2021 to bring their deceased father home after 25 years.
The man’s body was found in July 1995 on the uninhibited Dutch island of Razende Bol, also known as Noorderhaaks, located between the island of Texel and Holland’s northernmost point, the city of Den Helder.
After conducting a thorough investigation on the man’s boat including the fire extinguishers, stove, copper nails, as well as his clothing, nothing helped bring investigators any closer to discovering the sailor’s identity.
As a result, the man was anonymously buried on a cemetery in Den Helder.
Over the years, police have constantly kept an eye on the case, working on over 100 tip-offs which never led to a name.
A breakthrough was finally made in the summer this year when police circulated a press release to Swedish media after they realised the man was wearing a watch specifically made for the Swedish market and a label on his trousers indicated they were of Swedish origin.
A newspaper report elicited was spotted by a woman who recognised the sailor as her uncle and emailed the investigation team.
The Dutch police were then able to get in touch with the victim’s now adult children.
The man has now been identified as 59-year-old Hans from the city of Sundsvall in Sweden.
Officer John Welzenbagh, who had been working on the investigation for six years, told local media: “I was so excited that I was finally close to an answer.”
He added: “I just couldn’t sleep.”
Regarding the man’s daughters, he said: “All these years they lived in uncertainty with the unanswered question of what had happened to their father, why he no longer responded to contact requests.
“Due to special circumstances, they did not report their father’s disappearance in Sweden.”
Hans’s daughters are reportedly planning to visit the Netherlands in spring 2021 to bring their deceased father home after 25 years.
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