The father who stabbed his wife and 9-year-old daughter on Thursday night and then committed suicide may have had psychosis. That says acting mayor Mark Verheijen of the municipality of Etten-Leur. “The family was not known to aid agencies. There was a sudden situation that caused the father to do this. Possibly a psychosis, but I am not a doctor,” says Verheijen.
The police investigation into the family’s home on Leurse Dijk in Etten-Leur is still ongoing. This is how blood traces are viewed. The girl died of her injuries in the night from Friday to Saturday. The mother is still in the hospital, but is out of danger.
“You hear these kinds of stories too much these days.”
The death of the young girl causes intense emotions among local residents. “You hear these kinds of stories too much these days,” says neighbor Roy (38). “This is very sad, you don’t expect this here.” He himself went to work around five in the morning and was stopped by the police. “I had to get out of the car and get on my knees with my hands up.” After he had identified himself, Roy was allowed to drive on.
“I am very moved. I’ve only just moved here, but I’m very involved with the people in the area,” says Toos Stolwerk (71). “My thoughts are with that girl. I am very shocked by it. That whole family is disrupted, it is terrible.”
“She always played in the square with her mother”
Willy Kommers (80) lives around the corner from the family. She regularly saw the mother playing with the girl in the square. “A very nice couple, they always played very sweetly. I didn’t know what I heard when I heard about the stabbing. The family was well known in the area, we occasionally had a chat or said hello.”
It is not the first time that Etten-Leur has been hit by a family drama. In 2020, a mother, two young children and their grandmother died at the Dasseburcht. The father was also the perpetrator. “I live in that part of Etten-Leur and immediately thought of that,” says Ingrid (65). “This is horrible, also because you don’t know what preceded it.”
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Are you thinking about suicide or are you worried about someone close to you, call 0800-0113 or go to the site 113.nl for assistance.
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9-year-old girl Etten-Leur died after stabbing, police suspect father