UPDATEThe lifeless body of Christiana De Witte was found in the Roeselare-Ooigem canal on Thursday morning. This happened at the location where the Missing Persons Unit intensively searched the water a few weeks ago for the 84-year-old woman from Ingelmunster. “It’s a shame about the sad outcome, but now the family can at least try to cope with the loss,” says Mayor Kurt Windels.
LOOK. Emergency services arrived on scene to remove the lifeless woman’s body from the water
The emergency services received a call from a passer-by at 10.15 am on Thursday about the discovery of a body in the water. The site is located along the Trakelweg, directly opposite the Kanaalstraat in Ingelmunster. The fire brigade rushed to the scene en masse, an ambulance and a mosquito team also responded. Suspicions immediately arose that the female body found was that of Christiana De Witte, the 84-year-old woman who has been missing for almost a month. Her family was already informed about the discovery in the canal.
Wanted: medical doctor
The public prosecutor’s office sent a medical examiner to the scene, but that was difficult. Given the limited number of medical doctors available, it took some effort to find one who was available. The doctor did not arrive in Ingelmunster until shortly after noon. Until then, the remains remained in the water, secured to prevent them from floating away. There is quite a bit of shipping traffic on the canal and that causes swells on the water. During the investigation it became clear that the body found was indeed that of Christiana De Witte. This puts an end to several painful weeks of uncertainty for the family.
(read more below the photo)
On Friday, January 19 at 4:40 PM, Christiana De Witte left her assisted living home on Weststraat in Ingelmunster. Since then there has been no trace. Despite several searches, during which the 84-year-old woman was not found on the ground floor, the Missing Persons Unit, assisted by Civil Protection, had to divert to the water of the Roeselare-Ooigem canal and deploy a sonar boat. Unfortunately, this effort also yielded no results, nor did the searches by volunteers.
Finally clarity
“It was expected that Christiana would not be found alive,” says mayor Kurt Windels. “But nevertheless such news arrives. Especially with her family. On the other hand, it is good that there is now clarity and that intensive weeks of uncertainty are coming to an end. Now that Christiana has been found, her family can try to come to terms with the loss. And let us also be grateful for the many efforts made to find her, including by ordinary citizens affected by her disappearance.”
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