With a lump in his throat, Mayor Koen Schuiling reflected on the missing Thomas van Zeewijk Vink on Wednesday evening.
In his closing words before the Christmas recess, Schuiling moved the entire municipal council when he referred to the disappearance. Every Wednesday the city council meets to discuss many pressing matters. The last meeting of the calendar year is always a special one, with the closing words for Schuiling. He gave a speech about Groningen, where everyone matters.
“In this municipality we look out for each other,” the mayor said. “We care for each other. You are never alone in Groningen. And if we lose you, we will search until we find you.” Schuiling is visibly angry at that moment and he is not the only one in the council chamber.
Schuiling’s words cannot be seen separately from the disappearance of Thomas van Zeewijk Vink and the body that the police found in the Van Starkenborgh Canal at the end of the afternoon – when the council meeting started.
The police are investigating the identity of the body and cannot yet confirm that it is the missing 25-year-old Groningen resident.