The body that was found Saturday morning at a home in Geleen belongs to nine-year-old Gino. The police confirmed this at a press conference on Saturday afternoon.
Earlier on Saturday, a man from Geleen was arrested in his home in connection with Gino’s disappearance. The 22-year-old man is suspected of kidnapping. He is known to the police and the judiciary. According to the regional broadcaster L1 is the suspect Donny M.
Gino’s body was found at the direction of the suspect, the police reported at the press conference. “At the moment the investigation is in full swing. The suspect is in restrictions, which means that we cannot answer any further questions about the suspect.”
The body was found near the suspect’s house. The suspect’s location and home are both crime scenes. A major police investigation is underway in the Opbraakstraat in Geleen. A police spokesman previously confirmed that this is where the body was found.
The boy had been missing since Wednesday after he did not return home in Kerkrade. Just after 0:30 a.m. on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, the police received a report of the disappearance. An hour later, a call was placed via Burgernet to look out for Gino.
On Thursday, the police decided to send an amber alert. The boy was in life-threatening condition, police said. The German police had also been informed about the disappearance and made an appeal in Aachen to look out for the child. Kerkrade is located on the German border.
‘Gino won’t come home anymore and will never play football again’
According to a spokesman, the police obtained a view of the suspect on Friday, after which he was arrested in the night from Friday to Saturday. Also, “all possible means have been used to find Gino in time, but in vain”.
Mayor Petra Dassen van Kerkrade is shocked, she said at the press conference. “This is a raw reality. Gino won’t come home, won’t play football anymore and will no longer feel the love of his family. This is a hard blow to family and a blow to the community, police and all the volunteers who give their best done to find Gino. We must now support the family as best we can during this unbelievably difficult time.”