It is still a great mystery what exactly happened in the house on the Molenweg in Slootdorp. The body of 89-year-old Jan Veldt was found there on Saturday evening. The police suspect that it is a crime within the family. A 62-year-old man has been arrested: reportedly Jan’s son, although the police do not want to confirm this. In the village, people mourn his death. “I was really devastated when I heard it.”
Around noon it is dead quiet at the farm in Slootdorp. The remote Molenweg is deserted and you only hear the occasional dog barking. The farm is cordoned off. There is a van in the yard, probably from the forensic investigation. They are still investigating Jan’s death in the house. Special detail: two more sheep are standing on a lawn, as silent witnesses of what happened in the house.
Strong own opinion
“He was a man with a very strong opinion,” an older man at the supermarket in Slootdorp told NH News. He does not want to say much about himself, except that he lives in Wieringerwerf. “For example, Jan absolutely did not want to be vaccinated against the corona virus. As a result, he was soon refused in all kinds of places where he often visited, such as the café and at the airport in Middenmeer.”
“I know that the relationship with his son was not good,” continues the man from Wieringerwerf. “Jan had handed over the farm to his daughters. I don’t think that boy was in the inheritance.” The man is visibly moved when he tells this. His voice trembles and he looks down at the ground. “He often came to visit us at home. He was no longer allowed to enter the café, but he wanted to stay informed about what was happening in the polder. I was really devastated when I heard it. That this so happened. I can’t understand it.”
“I liked him, but it was a different one.”
We speak to more residents from the Wieringermeer who did know Jan. They are shocked by his death and characterize the old man as stubborn. A farmer from down the road calls him a ‘difficult man’. A man at the supermarket in Middenmeer used to live on the same road and he said that Jan had a plane there.
An 89-year-old man from Slootdorp says that he worked for Jan as a wage worker. He also prefers not to have his name mentioned. “I got on well with him, but that took a while. I liked him, but it was a special one. He had his own opinion.”
“This news does something to me. When we met, it was always: ‘Hey Jan, how are you?’ I used to talk to him all the time.”
Police response
The police can not yet say much about the drama that has taken place in the farm. The only thing they can share is that the 62-year-old suspect is still in custody. He still has to be questioned and will probably be brought before the examining magistrate tomorrow.
No witnesses have yet come forward. The police spokesperson cannot yet say anything about the cause of death, how 89-year-old Jan Veldt was found or how the arrest went. Earlier it became clear that the 62-year-old suspect was arrested in Jan’s house on Molenweg.
Farm on Molenweg where Jan (89) was found
Farm on Molenweg where Jan (89) was found
The Molenweg in Slootdorp
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