What you left in the morning can no longer be there in the evening, Toon Hermans once wrote. For Frank’s girlfriend (36), it is the heartbreaking reality. The body of the Alkmaarder was found yesterday afternoon in the North Holland Canal, almost a week after he went missing. The couple had a fight, but agreed to talk it out the next day.
A friend of Frank speaks to NH on behalf of the family. It’s been a hellish week, in which his head isn’t really focused on an interview. But because there is a lot of speculation online about the death of the Alkmaarder, he feels compelled to tell his story. “His girlfriend is not responsible for this.”
It is Thursday evening, March 23, when Frank leaves his house in a confused state. Around half past ten he calls his mother. He needed some rest and would be back on the radar after the weekend.
As long as she doesn’t hear from him – his phone is off – she decides to report her son missing on Monday, March 27. That same afternoon, the police distribute a message to draw attention to his disappearance.
It also states that Frank’s girlfriend broke off their relationship. He would afterwards went out without a coat, money and shoes. “Frank is not suicidal,” police said. Regional media, too NH, share the information about the breakup in their coverage.
The missing person is widely shared online. The fact that his girlfriend would have broken up with her leads to raised eyebrows and judgments towards the woman on social media. Some people even blame her for his disappearance, according to comments on Facebook.
Evil tongues on the internet
“Who started this ‘search’? His ex who sent him away? She already has his wallet.” Another reaction: “He has gone mad with his bitch.” Someone wonders, “Maybe murdered?”
His relatives find it painful to read all this. But their biggest concern is still finding Frank. Therefore, on Wednesday launched a major search.
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A volunteer organization with rescue dogs searches in teams along the North Holland Canal. The police comb out the water in a boat with sonar equipment: it would be a logical walking route for the missing Alkmaarder.
Then, around noon: the sonar picks up something along the Helderseweg. Silence falls in the boat. It appears to be a body and reinforcements are called. Special divers bring the body aside. It’s Frank.
End of uncertainty
“Somehow we are relieved that the uncertainty did not last for months, this is the end that no one hoped for and everyone feared. Terrible, so final,” says his friend. After this news comes out and spreads through Alkmaar, people react on Facebook that Frank ‘probably committed suicide out of heartbreak’.
“Losing the love of his life was just too hard to bear. Dying from a broken heart is possible.” Another: “Had it given you a little more time, your grief would have subsided and you might have had a great future.”
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In an argument, in the heat of the moment, you sometimes say things you don’t mean, things you later regret. This is also the case with Frank and his girlfriend during their last fight, it now appears.
“They texted each other afterwards. Both regretted the quarrel and wanted to talk it over the next day. ‘Yes, I’m coming, but I might be a little later. See you tomorrow,’ Frank wrote in his last message to her .”
No farewell speech
She is devastated, says the friend. “In addition to losing her boyfriend, with whom she was still very much in love, she now also has to deal with all the hateful reactions and incitement on social media. Especially if people know who she is. But also people who know her, can see his girlfriend as responsible.”
Her fear now is that her presence at Frank’s farewell will also unleash many tongues. That is why she no longer dares to give a farewell speech,
“None of us, his parents, family or friends blame her for this drama”
“She is afraid that those present will have a wrong impression of her because of all those stupid reactions. His girlfriend remains part of the family, despite the fact that Frank is no longer there. She has very good contact with his mother and they also support each other in this loss. She has absolutely not been responsible for this. None of us, his parents, family or friends blame her for this drama.”
Camera images
The police previously announced that they exclude that the Alkmaarder died as a result of a crime. It is not known whether it was a fatal accident or suicide. His relatives are still in the dark about how Frank ended up in the water. “If you consciously think about suicide, I don’t think you jump into the channel.”
There are cameras in the area where Frank walked and ended up in the water. His relatives expect that the circumstances can be determined if the police have viewed the camera images.
“We assume that the police will investigate this, but we are still waiting for that. We have no idea whether there will actually be a conclusion.”
On behalf of Frank’s friend, the family says they would like to be left alone and will not speak to the press. Franks’ friend would like to remain anonymous, his name is known to the editors.