Society

On Friday, July 16, 1993, then 17-year-old Tania Van Kerkhoven disappeared in the Belgian province of Antwerp. She had been to a local party, but then disappeared off the face of the earth.

Around 1 a.m., Tania left the party hall in Wommelgem. She first brought a friend on her moped to his home in Deurne, and then the 17-year-old young lady set off on her own to her home in Edegem. But she never arrived there. 

A hiker found her lifeless body the following day in the Brilschanspark, right next to the Antwerp ring road in Berchem. The autopsy revealed that she had been killed with seven knife wounds. The police found her moped in Wommelgem, locked. So presumably she got into someone's car there. But what really happened is still a mystery. For now, anyway, because there is hope.

Now, 31 years later, the Antwerp public prosecutor's office has decided to reopen the murder case. After all, investigators are convinced that with today's modern investigative techniques, this case might be able to be cleared up.

Tania's killer left his DNA when he dragged her into the bushes by her boots. But no match was found over the years. And just that DNA trace may provide a breakthrough in 2024 thanks to modern investigative techniques. "The case will be reviewed based on scientific evolutions, such as new DNA techniques," says the public prosecutor's office.

(SR for Tagtik/Source: Nieuwsblad - ATV - GVA/Illustration picture: Unsplash)