Het verhaal van de man die de dna-match ontdekte in zaak-Nicky Verstappen
The story of the man who discovered the dna-match in the Nicky Verstappen case
With a smile Arnoud Kal, dna expert at the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI), appeared at work today. It was Kal who, together with a colleague, coordinated the dna investigation in the Nicky Verstappen case.
Yesterday, 20 years after the death of the 11-year-old boy, it became known that a dna-match had been found between material on Nicky's clothing and 55-year-old Jos Brech. It was only when Brech was reported missing in April that his dna could be obtained from his belongings. The man is currently being sought.
Kal looked forward to yesterday's day for a long time, he tells the NOS. "At last we were able to share the important breakthrough with colleagues, but especially with the whole of the Netherlands."
According to the judicial authorities, the dna investigation in the Nicky Verstappen case is the largest ever investigation into biological relationships. It started in February this year and 21,500 men were called up. 14,049 men voluntarily gave DNA. Those thousands of dna samples were a monster project for the NFI.
"We had to bring in new techniques, including robots," Kal says. "For that you need people who understand robots, but also people who understand automation. Analysts also worked on the DNA profiles, and then there are the people who make the software that allows us to compare the profiles with each other. You need all these people to make a project like this a success."
Finding the match is not as romantic as the CSI TV programme, where a dna-match is often found after pressing a few buttons. It is above all a long-term task, Kal. "You're going to compare dna profiles and at some point you'll see that you've got a match. In this case, in the Verstappen case, that was a very special moment, because we had already seen a lot of profiles coming by, all of which did not yield that match."
When the match came two months ago, Kal and his colleagues had a difficult time, because although they wanted to shout it off the rooftops, almost nobody was allowed to know. "You can't just sprint into the hallway to tell us we have a match. Even for your own colleagues, you have to keep the secret in such a big case as this.
That secrecy was important because, with this profile, we knew it was a missing person. You know that the police have to search for that person first and that there are all kinds of risks lurking when it leaks out.
In addition to Kal, three others knew about the match, but many more colleagues cooperated in the investigation. They were not allowed to know yet about the match. " The investigation was one that everyone here knew was happening. Sometimes you have to tell a half truth to your colleagues.
Yesterday, the information finally came out. At a press conference, the police and the public prosecutor's office announced the dna-match and asked them for tips about Jos Brech's whereabouts.
Although Kal no longer has to be silent, it does not mean that a champagne bottle was uncorked at the NFI.
"I think everyone here will enjoy the beautiful result in their own way. At the same time, everyone has also seen the very emotional press conference, which is also the reason for reacting in a restrained way. You know that this is not yet over for the family. There are still no answers to their questions."
For Kal and his colleagues, the result does provide extra motivation to tackle other unresolved cases. There are still 1500 of them. This also includes cases where there are no traces that the NFI can investigate. But for those cases with traces, Kal is clear: "We would love to investigate them."
BBM
A monster investigation into potentially 21.500 DNA profiles. Over 14.000 men turned up, and we now know that the perpetrator was
not among them.
I wonder for how long he had been a POI already. The story here is that apparently, LE had to wait to get his DNA
until he was reported missing.
Why don't journalists ASK these questions? Did the DNA from Jos Brech's belongings follow the same route as the other 14.000, or was it fast-tracked because he was already a POI?
Did the NFI continue to analyze DNA-samples for two more months for security reasons even when there was a 100% match?
It beggars belief that essential yet relatively small mistakes made in the beginning of the investigation, and in the years after that, mistakes that resulted in Jos Brech not becoming a suspect, would pave the way for this monster project that must have cost millions.
It is of course always easy to criticise after the facts become known. But still. This is the reaction of two former senior police inspectors:
Een zaak vol missers | Waarheidsvinding
In the light of what has now become known about Brech, it is incomprehensible that the police apparently warn the scouting against Brech, but did not take any further action against him.
Police spokeswoman Yolanda Dols has an explanation for this. According to her, Brech admitted to the police at the time that he had previously been in the picture for a sex offence. But because that case had been dismissed, he had not become a suspect in the 'Verstappen' case.
We wonder how long you have to study to become so stupid. The fact that a case has been dismissed says nothing about the suspect or his behaviour. It just says he has not been penalized. The fact that Brech was sexually interested in young boys and that he was spotted in the vicinity of the crime scene shortly after Nicky's body was found should have made all the alarm bells ring. The fact that this did not happen says it all about the quality of the people who investigated the Nicky Verstappen case.
BBM
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