Marlies van der Kouwe

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. The body was discovered on October 18, 2008.

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 cycling 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.

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.was arrested on 26 September, 2008. Police have confiscated a scooter found in the garden of Pietersz's relatives.

A second suspect, Siegmar Marchena, was arrested on October 10, 2008. into custody. Vincent is the 37-year-old brother of Rayan Pietersz. The brother lives with their mutual grandmother, and Rayan Pietersz frequently stays at the house.

The body of Marlies was found on October 18, 2008 by police officers.

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