In the night from Friday to Saturday, Geurtz and her partner Jurgen Habets (49) searched until around 01.30 in the Berenbos in Kerkrade, a nature reserve with playground on the edge of the Limburg town.
The couple from Heerlen planned to continue looking for the boy on the Brunssummerheide with a group of others on Saturday. The lifeless body of 11-year-old Nicky Verstappen was found in that nature reserve in 1998. According to them, a scooter that was found in the search for Gino was several hundred meters away from the area.
“We were on our way there when we heard that a body had been found in Geleen,” says Geurtz. She immediately went to Geleen with her partner.
Members of the Phoenix4kids motorcycle club also helped with the search. They are Saturday afternoon with their vests on on a lawn, near the spot where the police found a body. They were looking for Gino in various places in Kerkrade until 4.30 am, says Mandy Kalsbeek (40) from Heerlen. “We are here to support the family. We are mainly defeated and sad,” she says.
The club often has initiatives to help children in need. Members also sometimes drive around with children who have disabilities. Two members from Friesland also participated in the search. “We came from Drachten yesterday to help search,” says Tabitha Blijenburg (40) from Drachten. “Now we are here to support the family.”
The family is awaiting identification of the body before commenting, a family spokeswoman said.