The large-scale DNA research in the reopened file of the murder of Tania Van Kerkhoven in 1993 in Berchem (Antwerp) and several related cases, including the disappearance of Kim (11) and Ken (8), has not yet yielded a match. This is reported by the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office. 118 DNA samples have already been taken after a list of approximately 2,000 men was compiled. A second round of research is now being launched.
Regional journalist at HLN
Source: Belga
The public prosecutor’s office announced in the autumn of 2025 that a link had been found between the never-solved murder of Tania Van Kerkhoven (17 years old at the time), who was murdered in 1993 in Berchem near Antwerp, and two rapes in 1992 and 1993 on the Left Bank.
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This spring there also appeared to be a DNA link with the disappearance of Kim (11) and Ken (8) Heyrman in 1994. Kim’s body was found in the Asia dock a few weeks after the disappearance, Ken was never found.
Based on that information and further analysis of the files, investigators compiled a list of approximately 2,000 men from whom a DNA sample could possibly be taken, the prosecutor’s office said. These samples are compared with the DNA profile found in the files.
In the first phase, investigators have already taken 118 DNA samples. After analysis by the National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology (NICC) and comparison with existing databases, none of the samples appeared to match the DNA profile sought. “The people involved have been informed of this,” says the public prosecutor’s office, which is now starting a second phase.
In a second round, according to the public prosecutor’s office, around a hundred men will again be invited to voluntarily provide a DNA sample. The investigation into the various files is now continuing.