Marlies van der Kouwe

Infobox Person
name = Marlies van der Kouwe


image_size =
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birth_name = Marlies Elisabeth van der Kouwe
birth_date = May 11, 1984
birth_place = Willemstad, Curaçao [cite web|url=http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/1999175/__Nederlandse_verdwenen_op_Bonaire__.html?p=26,1|title=Nederlandse verdwenen op Bonaire|accessdate=2008-09-27 |date=2008-09-24|publisher=De Telegraaf|language=Dutch]
nationality = Dutch
known_for = Missing person
height =
weight =
parents =

Marlies Elisabeth van der Kouwe (born May 11, 1984) is a Dutch woman who was abducted in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles, on September 21, 2008. At 2:30 am Sunday morning a man pulled her off her bicycle. According to several witnesses, the abductor was a man of average height wearing dark-coloured clothing. The police has put a large scale search, flying in additional police teams from both Curaçao and the Netherlands. Despite the efforts, no trace of the young woman has been found.cite web|url=http://www.volkskrant.nl/binnenland/article1070275.ece/Onrust_op_Bonaire_na_verdwijnen_jonge_vrouw|publisher=De Volkskrant|title=Onrust op Bonaire na verdwijnen jonge vrouw|first=Jean|last=Mentens|language=Dutch|date=2008-09-24|accessdate=2008-10-11]

Abduction

On Saturday night, September 20, Marlies was at a beach party with friends. She was seen in the Bonarian bar "Karels Beach Bar" before cycing home alone. She rode along the coast line in northern direction towards the Hato neighbourhood. At 1.30 am, close to the Bonarian Water and Electricity Company (WEB), a witness sees a man dragging her off her bike. The perpetrator, who wore a dark-coloured jacket, is known to be somewhere between 1.70 and 1.80 metres tall. Thereafter, he drove off with Van der Kouwe and possibly an accomplice on a dark motorcycle or scooter. Because of the dark, details were difficult to see. Other witnesses report the woman was chased by two on a scooter moments prior to the abduction. The next day, the bike and the woman's brown slipper were found in the bushes. [cite web|url=http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/binnenland/articleview/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2008/09_september/24/binnenland/0924_1200_reconstructie_verdwijning_kouwe.xml|title=Reconstructie ontvoering Van der Kouwe|publisher=RTL Nederland|accessdate=2008-09-27|date=2008-09-26|language=Dutch]

Investigation

The local police, the "Investigation Cooperation Team" (RST) consisting of Dutch and Antillean detectives, and the border patrol have been called in for a large-scale search on and around the island. Chief of police John Schagen sought the public's help in finding the young woman.

Rayan Pietersz [http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/2167050/__Opnieuw_arrestatie_op_Bonaire__.html?p=1,1 Opnieuw arrestatie op Bonaire] ] was arrested on 26 September, 2008. Police have confiscated a scooter found in the garden of Pietersz's relatives. [http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_47294.php]

A second suspect, Siegmar Marchena, was arrested on October 10, 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.rtl.nl/(/actueel/rtlnieuws/binnenland/articleview/)/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/2008/09_september/24/binnenland/0924_1200_reconstructie_verdwijning_kouwe.xml A reconstruction of the abduction by RTL News]