The boy’s body was found on Saturday around 11.45 am in a garden of a home in Geleen, after an indication of the suspect. The 22-year-old man was arrested in the same neighborhood during the night from Friday to Saturday. The suspect is in restriction and is suspected of kidnapping and involvement in the death, the Public Prosecution Service said. He will be arraigned next week.
Gino disappeared last Wednesday evening in Kerkrade, after he went to play football for a while at a playground near the house of his 32-year-old sister, with whom he was staying. Gino went along with the suspect from the playing field, but further details about his disappearance and death are not known. “Until now, all our attention has been focused on finding Gino. The rest of the investigation has only just started now,’ said the police chief of the Limburg unit.
In recent days, the police and volunteers have been looking for Gino. “That led to a suspect on Friday afternoon,” the police chief said. The police report that the suspect is known to the judiciary, but does not want to say anything about his identity in connection with the ongoing investigation. To the best of the police’s knowledge, there is no link between the victim and the suspect.
Names and photos of someone who would be involved with Gino’s disappearance are circulating on social media. But this is not the suspect, say the police, who ask that the images be removed and not shared.
Large-scale search
After the disappearance, relatives, volunteers and veterans of the Veterans Search Team foundation searched the area in and around Kerkrade for the missing boy. A special research team from nearby Germany also searched on Thursday, including sniffer dogs and drones. Several items were found during the searches, including a scooter that may have belonged to Gino. Police have not yet released any information about this.
In and around the house where Gino’s body was found, the investigation is still in full swing. An investigation is also underway at the suspect’s home. Both this house and the location of the body are considered crime scenes. The police are asking for space to do their job properly.
Gino’s family says in a press statement that they are “in shock and intensely sad”. They thank everyone for the ‘heartwarming reactions’ and now write that they need some rest.