Police investigate harassment reports in Nieuw-Vennep where a woman, 59, was found dead

Police are investigating multiple reports of women being harassed near a train station in Nieuw-Vennep on the same day a 59-year-old woman was found dead there, prosecutors reported.

The woman, identified as Karin, was found Monday evening in a parking lot at the station. Authorities immediately cordoned off a large area and conducted an extensive investigation over several days.

On that same day, police received multiple reports from women who said they had been approached and harassed by a man in the area, according to a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service (OM). Investigators are now examining whether those incidents are connected to the woman’s death. “Whether there is a connection between the reports of harassed women and the fatal incident is not yet clear,” the OM said.

A 36-year-old man with Italian nationality has been arrested in connection with the death. He has no fixed residence and will remain in custody for at least 14 more days under an order from an examining magistrate. Prosecutors have said the suspect and the victim likely did not know each other.

Two days after the body was discovered, a stabbing weapon was found at the scene by a municipal worker, Ruud, who was installing fencing in the area. The discovery prompted police to return for further examination of the site. Earlier in the week, an AD reporter also found a bloodied stabbing weapon in the same area.

Separately, authorities confirmed that a previously reported death of another ABN Amro employee in Amsterdam-Zuid on March 26 is now being treated as unrelated to the Nieuw-Vennep case. Police had previously investigated whether there could be a connection between the two deaths and consulted across both inquiries, but they now say there is no known link.