Post by hi224 on Feb 22, 2019 6:02:11 GMT
Herman Ploegstra was a 35-year-old Dutch crane operator from a small town in the south-west of the Netherlands, very close to the Belgian border and a stone's throw away from the North Sea and the British channel. During life time he was known as a jovial man. He was known in the area's nightlife and a voluntary firefighter who was happily married and raising children.
The Disappearance itself
On the 26th of October 2010 Herman visited a familiar fitness center in a nearby town to work out for a couple of hours, something he’d done many times before. He has not been seen or heard from again after leaving the facility at 10PM that evening.
When Herman fails to return home his wife Sandra raises the alarm, after which many friends, co-firefighters and acquaintances set out into the night to search for him. Shortly before midnight one of his friends finds Hermans car along the route he would have taken home, parked at the entrance of a terrain owned by the water authority. He is at that point less then 1km away from the fitness center. The car is not locked and the keys are still in the ignition. The automatic gear is still set to “D” instead of parking. His wallet is found on the floor next to the car as well as his firefighter transceiver. There's a can of pepper spray on the floor near the pedals as well as the glovebox being opened. The police are called and they search the immediate surrounding area with infrared, amongst other things. No one is found. A day later, during the forensic search of the car the next day, the police find multiple tiny blood spatters on several locations:
On the inside of the driver's side handle
The front of the driver's seat
The steering wheel
On the seatbelt
On the automatic gear knob
Those traces are minute, not indicational of any heavy damage like being shot, stabbed or anything similar.
Different then he appeared.
In different tv-shows and media interviews his wife described him as a loving, dedicated and caring husband. In the investigations following his disappearance the police investigation uncovered a different side to Herman. Amongst things discovered were a second cellphone he’d keep in his crane or hidden away in his garage and a number of affairs. During his disappearance he was involved in an affair with a married woman. The women's husband discovered this affair and confronted Herman, even calling to threaten him in the middle of the night. As it later turned out, the husband was one of Hermans colleagues. He later confirmed to the police that he had threatened Herman but was removed as a suspect as he had an alibi for the night of the disappearance.
In the short time before he disappeared, Herman seemed to get more agitated and stressed. His wife recalls that he sometimes woke up sobbing in the middle of the night, though he’d deny that when asked about it later. His brother recalls Herman telling him that he’d found a bullet under his windshield wiper as well as a threatening letter. His tires were also slashed on a number of occasions. Herman also hinted a number of times that thought he was being followed.
Police later recovered a slip of paper what appeared to be a number of appointments or things that he was scheduled to do, hidden in a workmap in his crane. This paper contained a number of words:
Sport
Industry
Water Agency
Gloves
Spray can
Moes +
Almost all of these things can be connected to the night of the disappearance. Sport being fitness, water agency being where his car was found, the spray can being the can of pepper spray. It has later been theorized an anonymous tip that Moes may be the shortening of a name such as Mustafa.
Theories
Suicide: the first theory to be put out by police was that Herman had decided to take his own life. Right across from where he parked his car lies the “Westerschelde”. This is a major waterway used for cargo ships amongst other things. During Hermans disappearance there was a low tide, meaning he could have, in theory, walked through the sludge and into the waterway. However, no footsteps were found in the sludge nor has his body turned up in the waterway. The infra-red search that night also yielded no results.
The father in law: Herman had a really strained relationship with his father in law. 3 years before the disappearance they had had an encounter during New Year's Day, as his mother in law was hiding in Hermans home from her husband. The father in law then threated Herman that there would be trouble if the mother in law was not home by 5pm. He made his way over to Hermans house, smashed in the window of a door and assaulted Herman. Herman filed charges. The police recovered a fire weapon in the father in laws house after he supposedly threatened Herman with it. The father in law was sentenced to 241days in prison (200 probational) for this and it started a simmering fight that lasted until the disappearance. The father in law is alleged to have contacts in the criminal underworld.
The Audi A6: A witness stated that on the night of the disappearance she had seen an Audi A6 race along the street where Hermans car was found. This car was supposed to be racing very fast with speeds of up to 200km/h. Another witness stated she had seen a man standing by the side of the road with a suitcase. That description matched Herman. The police have dismissed the suitcase sighting.
Reopening the cold case
Police have reopened the case starting in July 2018, after a new anonymous lead had come in. The police have since stated that, with the information they have, they now assume that this is a murder case. Witnesses are being re-interviewed and forensic evidence is being re-examined with the new technology.
What do you think? Was it a voluntary disappearance? Was he murdered? In which corner should we be looking?
Sources in dutch:
www.omroepzeeland.nl/nieuws/107087/Dossier-privedetective-bevat-nieuwe-informatie-over-verdwijning-Herman-Ploegstra
www.omroepzeeland.nl/nieuws/106521/De-zaak-Herman-Ploegstra-dit-is-wat-we-tot-nu-toe-weten
www.misdaadjournalist.nl/2018/06/herman-ploegstra-kraanmachinist-met-fatale-liefde/
www.crimesite.nl/politie-herman-ploegstra-is-vermoord-video/
The Disappearance itself
On the 26th of October 2010 Herman visited a familiar fitness center in a nearby town to work out for a couple of hours, something he’d done many times before. He has not been seen or heard from again after leaving the facility at 10PM that evening.
When Herman fails to return home his wife Sandra raises the alarm, after which many friends, co-firefighters and acquaintances set out into the night to search for him. Shortly before midnight one of his friends finds Hermans car along the route he would have taken home, parked at the entrance of a terrain owned by the water authority. He is at that point less then 1km away from the fitness center. The car is not locked and the keys are still in the ignition. The automatic gear is still set to “D” instead of parking. His wallet is found on the floor next to the car as well as his firefighter transceiver. There's a can of pepper spray on the floor near the pedals as well as the glovebox being opened. The police are called and they search the immediate surrounding area with infrared, amongst other things. No one is found. A day later, during the forensic search of the car the next day, the police find multiple tiny blood spatters on several locations:
On the inside of the driver's side handle
The front of the driver's seat
The steering wheel
On the seatbelt
On the automatic gear knob
Those traces are minute, not indicational of any heavy damage like being shot, stabbed or anything similar.
Different then he appeared.
In different tv-shows and media interviews his wife described him as a loving, dedicated and caring husband. In the investigations following his disappearance the police investigation uncovered a different side to Herman. Amongst things discovered were a second cellphone he’d keep in his crane or hidden away in his garage and a number of affairs. During his disappearance he was involved in an affair with a married woman. The women's husband discovered this affair and confronted Herman, even calling to threaten him in the middle of the night. As it later turned out, the husband was one of Hermans colleagues. He later confirmed to the police that he had threatened Herman but was removed as a suspect as he had an alibi for the night of the disappearance.
In the short time before he disappeared, Herman seemed to get more agitated and stressed. His wife recalls that he sometimes woke up sobbing in the middle of the night, though he’d deny that when asked about it later. His brother recalls Herman telling him that he’d found a bullet under his windshield wiper as well as a threatening letter. His tires were also slashed on a number of occasions. Herman also hinted a number of times that thought he was being followed.
Police later recovered a slip of paper what appeared to be a number of appointments or things that he was scheduled to do, hidden in a workmap in his crane. This paper contained a number of words:
Sport
Industry
Water Agency
Gloves
Spray can
Moes +
Almost all of these things can be connected to the night of the disappearance. Sport being fitness, water agency being where his car was found, the spray can being the can of pepper spray. It has later been theorized an anonymous tip that Moes may be the shortening of a name such as Mustafa.
Theories
Suicide: the first theory to be put out by police was that Herman had decided to take his own life. Right across from where he parked his car lies the “Westerschelde”. This is a major waterway used for cargo ships amongst other things. During Hermans disappearance there was a low tide, meaning he could have, in theory, walked through the sludge and into the waterway. However, no footsteps were found in the sludge nor has his body turned up in the waterway. The infra-red search that night also yielded no results.
The father in law: Herman had a really strained relationship with his father in law. 3 years before the disappearance they had had an encounter during New Year's Day, as his mother in law was hiding in Hermans home from her husband. The father in law then threated Herman that there would be trouble if the mother in law was not home by 5pm. He made his way over to Hermans house, smashed in the window of a door and assaulted Herman. Herman filed charges. The police recovered a fire weapon in the father in laws house after he supposedly threatened Herman with it. The father in law was sentenced to 241days in prison (200 probational) for this and it started a simmering fight that lasted until the disappearance. The father in law is alleged to have contacts in the criminal underworld.
The Audi A6: A witness stated that on the night of the disappearance she had seen an Audi A6 race along the street where Hermans car was found. This car was supposed to be racing very fast with speeds of up to 200km/h. Another witness stated she had seen a man standing by the side of the road with a suitcase. That description matched Herman. The police have dismissed the suitcase sighting.
Reopening the cold case
Police have reopened the case starting in July 2018, after a new anonymous lead had come in. The police have since stated that, with the information they have, they now assume that this is a murder case. Witnesses are being re-interviewed and forensic evidence is being re-examined with the new technology.
What do you think? Was it a voluntary disappearance? Was he murdered? In which corner should we be looking?
Sources in dutch:
www.omroepzeeland.nl/nieuws/107087/Dossier-privedetective-bevat-nieuwe-informatie-over-verdwijning-Herman-Ploegstra
www.omroepzeeland.nl/nieuws/106521/De-zaak-Herman-Ploegstra-dit-is-wat-we-tot-nu-toe-weten
www.misdaadjournalist.nl/2018/06/herman-ploegstra-kraanmachinist-met-fatale-liefde/
www.crimesite.nl/politie-herman-ploegstra-is-vermoord-video/
