A homicide investigation is underway in the Netherlands after the discovery of an unidentified woman’s body in Rijsdijk, with forensic tests confirming she died from a gunshot wound, local law enforcement confirmed this week.
The remains were first located on Thursday, July 2, by a man collecting leaves in the area off Suralcoweg, a side road near a gravel pit in Rijsdijk. When the man stumbled across the body hidden in vegetation along a dirt side road, he immediately notified authorities, who quickly cordoned off the crime scene and secured the area for forensic processing. On orders from the Public Prosecution Service, the body was transported for a full autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Preliminary and post-mortem examinations have now confirmed the case is a criminal homicide. Investigators told reporters the body was found in an advanced state of decomposition and was partially undressed. A spent bullet casing was recovered a short distance from the remains during the initial sweep of the site, indicating a firearm was discharged at or near the location where the body was dumped. Law enforcement says they are working from the working theory that the woman was killed either at the discovery site or elsewhere before her body was left at the Suralcoweg location.
As of the latest update on July 5, investigators have not yet been able to confirm the identity of the victim. Based on initial forensic analysis, they believe the woman was between 20 and 30 years old, and roughly 150 centimeters tall. Several personal items were recovered alongside the body that investigators hope will help lead to identification, including a pair of glasses, a finger ring, and a single women’s high-heeled shoe. All of these items have been secured for forensic testing.
The Major Crimes Unit is continuing the investigation at full pace, with authorities probing all possible scenarios related to how the crime unfolded and how the victim’s body ended up at the discovery site. In a public appeal issued this week, police urged community members who may have information related to the case, or who spotted any suspicious activity in the Suralcoweg area in the days before the body was found, to come forward immediately. Investigators stressed that even the smallest tip could prove critical to identifying the victim and solving the homicide.