**Dean Verberckmoes, the little boy from Sint-Niklaas who was kidnapped last week, was found dead in Zeeland tonight. This is what the Dutch police reported. Earlier today, Dave De Kock, the 34-year-old man who disappeared with the 4-year-old boy Dean Verberckmoes from Sint-Niklaas last week, had been arrested. De Kock had previously served a prison sentence for severely abusing his two-year-old stepson, resulting in death.**
“The 34-year-old Belgian was arrested this afternoon around 2:15 p.m. after a report of a suspicious situation in Meerkerk. He was there alone. Further investigation revealed that he had left his car at a company in Gorinchem, the car was found and secured there,” the Dutch police wrote in a press release.
Earlier in the day, the search for the man and the boy was conducted in several places in the Netherlands. In Belgium, a search report had already been issued on Sunday evening, after the mother of the boy had reported the matter to the police over the weekend.
**Stepson mistreated**
Dave De Kock was sentenced to 10 years in 2010 because in 2008 he had severely mistreated his two-year old stepson, resulting in death, without the intention to kill. That was the qualification at the time.
After serving two years in pre-trial detention, De Kock served another 7 years in prison after his conviction. Then he had an ankle bracelet for another year. As a result, he had – all things considered – thus served his full sentence.
**Trust**
Apparently De Kock had a good relationship with the mother of the boy with whom he disappeared last week. That is what Elke Verberckmoes, the mother of 4-year-old Dean, told VRT NWS earlier today.
She had great confidence in him because he had always looked after her children – Dean and his sister – well. “When Dave had babysat, they always told us that they had done crafts with him and played games,” she said.
**Nanny**
But that trust was betrayed by the babysitter last week. On Wednesday morning Elke Verberckmoes was still dropped off by Dave De Kock at the Sint-Hiëronymus psychiatric hospital, on Dalstraat in Sint-Niklaas.
Verberckmoes is admitted there 5 days a week, because she is undergoing treatment for depression. Dean and his sister are usually taken care of by Elkes’ mother, but on Wednesday the friend of the house would look after Dean.
**Worried**
On Thursday night the mother was still in contact with the babysitter, but on Friday she became worried. De Kock had let it be known that Dean could stay with him one more day on Thursday. “He said he agreed to that with his girlfriend and my mom,” she said. But it turned out afterwards that they were not informed at all.
When Elke arrived at her parents’ house on Friday, she was looking forward to seeing her children, “because my children are my priority,” she told VRT NWS. Meanwhile, Dave De Kock had sent her another message, writing that he was with his girlfriend to his grandparents in Antwerp and that my kids were with my mom. “But when I got home, Dean was gone without a trace.”
**Argument**
“Apparently Dave had a fight with his girlfriend and took Dean to Antwerp, but he never went to his grandparents’ house in Antwerp,” the mother continued.
“I was angry because he should have discussed it with me that Dean would stay longer, and not behind my back. Provided that my mother, the babysitter and his friend went for a walk with us on Saturday. I thought: it’s okay, then I’ll have some quality time with my little daughter, before Dean comes home on Saturday. But he never came home.”
**Tracing**
After the mother went to report the incident to the police, an APB was distributed on Sunday, which included the description Dave De Kock and Dean Verberckmoes.
De Kock was travelling in a grey Peugeot 206 with license plate 2-ACR-250 and Dean is described as a normally built boy of 1.02 tall, with brown eyes and brown hair. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a dark blue jacket with red stripes.
**Netherlands**
Apparently the prosecutor’s office and the police had information that they should search in the Netherlands, because today they searched several places north of the border: including the Dutch provinces of Brabant and Zeeland.
De Kock was finally found around 2:15 p.m. in Meerkerk, in the province of Utrecht. He had left his car about ten kilometers south, in Gorinchem.
Wat een ongelooflijk ongelooflijk tragisch verhaal. Door een vertrouwenspersoon van de familie dan nog. Hoe hebben ze in godsnaam in die 10 jaar gevangenis nooit opgemerkt dat er kans op recidive was?
Lang geleden dat een zaak mij nog zo hard geraakt heeft. Hopelijk krijgt de mama (die het al zo moeilijk had), alle mogelijke steun.
In wat voor een fucked up wereld leven wij toch.
Sad.
Had a bad feeling first time reading the story this afternoon. As a parent of a 3yo this makes my stomach turn inside out.
Hope he gets a life sentence, if it were my kid he’d be happy I won’t do the same to him.
Het voelde al niet goed aan maar stiekem hoop je toch altijd op een “goede afloop”. Damn…
This evil scumbag was already in jail for 10 years for the death of another kid due to his abuse and neglect.
Some people are beyond saving
Hoe iemand die een tweejarig kind zwaar mishandeld met de dood tot gevolg ooit nog een stap buiten een kooi mag zetten, laat staan al na 10 jaar… Absurd.
Another scumbag that should never’ve been running around. Always the same fucking story.
Fucking horrible. How fucked in the head do you need to be to kill a child? Let alone 2.
De dood van dit kind ligt op het Belgische rechtsysteem, niets meer over te zeggen. Als we ze toch niet levenslang gaan opsluiten kunnen we voor dit soort daders beter de doodstraf terug invoeren zover het aan mij ligt.
What the fuck. So he’s a fucking serial kid murderer?
Remember when politicians used to quit after something like this happened? I do
Afschuwelijk. Fuck maat, what else is there to say…
i hope that kidnapper gets a fun cellmate, one of those biker gangmembers 5 times his size that has kids of his own maybe.
As a single dad of a 10 year old twin this really breaks me. I’m just lucky my parents are always there 🙁
I’ve two siblings of 6 and 8 years old and tomorrow I’m going to hug and kiss them even more.
I’m so incredibly sorry for the mother and their loved ones, this is something no person should go through. There are no words to describe this tragedy.
I hope that little man is in a peaceful place now and I hope you have a support system to be there for you and to hug you whenever you’d feel like you’d need one.
Jarenlang socialisme, this is what you get. Socialisme laxisme.
This guy was already in jail for abusing his stepson with death as a result. He literally got out in 2020. WHY was he let out again???? Will the justice system do something about this?
For several decades we are now following the theories of some sociologists and criminologists that claim these freaks can rehabilitate into society. And as result put the rights of the perpetrator above the society
Can we now call it a day now, and lock these types with a lifetime sentence. I hope the people responsible for his release jump of the tallest tower.
Dead sentence can return for all i care.
Triest, diep triest
Can’t take stories like this anymore since I have children.
De monsters zijn de wereld niet uit. Mijn hart gaat uit naar de familie van dit jongetje. Dit raakt mij diep, ik heb een nichtje van 2 en een neefje van 5. Degoutant die man. Onbegrip.
Hopefully this changes the system so murderers get followed up their entire life if they are released. Although murdering children is an unspeakable crime that can not be forgiven.
OMG, how awful
Triest en beangstigend. Meer kan ik niet meer over zeggen.
Doodstraf moet terug, klinkt populistische. Ik weet het maar hoe ouder ik word hoe meer zie ik het als een oplossing.
Er is gewoon teveel gevallen van recidive bij zware criminelen.
Gods, this is horrible. I can’t imagine the absolute hellish nightmare this mother must go through. I’ve got three kids myself, and I have no idea how I’d be able to cope losing one of them.
When will they realize some people are just not fit for society anymore.
No matter how many hours of therapy, you just can’t change them if they do not want to change.
In my eyes the justice system in Belgium is equally responsible for what happened to Dean.
So I hope they also are held responsible and no other parent/sister/brother/aunt/uncle should have to go through this.
Shame on the whole justice departement that is just a mess.
Fuck… when it heard on the news I thought let the kid be alive. I don’t understand why people would do this to a 4 year old. I hope he gets a life sentence… My thoughts go to the mother…her life is broken because her baby boy will never com back…
30 comments
**Dean Verberckmoes, the little boy from Sint-Niklaas who was kidnapped last week, was found dead in Zeeland tonight. This is what the Dutch police reported. Earlier today, Dave De Kock, the 34-year-old man who disappeared with the 4-year-old boy Dean Verberckmoes from Sint-Niklaas last week, had been arrested. De Kock had previously served a prison sentence for severely abusing his two-year-old stepson, resulting in death.**
“The 34-year-old Belgian was arrested this afternoon around 2:15 p.m. after a report of a suspicious situation in Meerkerk. He was there alone. Further investigation revealed that he had left his car at a company in Gorinchem, the car was found and secured there,” the Dutch police wrote in a press release.
Earlier in the day, the search for the man and the boy was conducted in several places in the Netherlands. In Belgium, a search report had already been issued on Sunday evening, after the mother of the boy had reported the matter to the police over the weekend.
**Stepson mistreated**
Dave De Kock was sentenced to 10 years in 2010 because in 2008 he had severely mistreated his two-year old stepson, resulting in death, without the intention to kill. That was the qualification at the time.
After serving two years in pre-trial detention, De Kock served another 7 years in prison after his conviction. Then he had an ankle bracelet for another year. As a result, he had – all things considered – thus served his full sentence.
**Trust**
Apparently De Kock had a good relationship with the mother of the boy with whom he disappeared last week. That is what Elke Verberckmoes, the mother of 4-year-old Dean, told VRT NWS earlier today.
She had great confidence in him because he had always looked after her children – Dean and his sister – well. “When Dave had babysat, they always told us that they had done crafts with him and played games,” she said.
**Nanny**
But that trust was betrayed by the babysitter last week. On Wednesday morning Elke Verberckmoes was still dropped off by Dave De Kock at the Sint-Hiëronymus psychiatric hospital, on Dalstraat in Sint-Niklaas.
Verberckmoes is admitted there 5 days a week, because she is undergoing treatment for depression. Dean and his sister are usually taken care of by Elkes’ mother, but on Wednesday the friend of the house would look after Dean.
**Worried**
On Thursday night the mother was still in contact with the babysitter, but on Friday she became worried. De Kock had let it be known that Dean could stay with him one more day on Thursday. “He said he agreed to that with his girlfriend and my mom,” she said. But it turned out afterwards that they were not informed at all.
When Elke arrived at her parents’ house on Friday, she was looking forward to seeing her children, “because my children are my priority,” she told VRT NWS. Meanwhile, Dave De Kock had sent her another message, writing that he was with his girlfriend to his grandparents in Antwerp and that my kids were with my mom. “But when I got home, Dean was gone without a trace.”
**Argument**
“Apparently Dave had a fight with his girlfriend and took Dean to Antwerp, but he never went to his grandparents’ house in Antwerp,” the mother continued.
“I was angry because he should have discussed it with me that Dean would stay longer, and not behind my back. Provided that my mother, the babysitter and his friend went for a walk with us on Saturday. I thought: it’s okay, then I’ll have some quality time with my little daughter, before Dean comes home on Saturday. But he never came home.”
**Tracing**
After the mother went to report the incident to the police, an APB was distributed on Sunday, which included the description Dave De Kock and Dean Verberckmoes.
De Kock was travelling in a grey Peugeot 206 with license plate 2-ACR-250 and Dean is described as a normally built boy of 1.02 tall, with brown eyes and brown hair. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a dark blue jacket with red stripes.
**Netherlands**
Apparently the prosecutor’s office and the police had information that they should search in the Netherlands, because today they searched several places north of the border: including the Dutch provinces of Brabant and Zeeland.
De Kock was finally found around 2:15 p.m. in Meerkerk, in the province of Utrecht. He had left his car about ten kilometers south, in Gorinchem.
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Wat een ongelooflijk ongelooflijk tragisch verhaal. Door een vertrouwenspersoon van de familie dan nog. Hoe hebben ze in godsnaam in die 10 jaar gevangenis nooit opgemerkt dat er kans op recidive was?
Lang geleden dat een zaak mij nog zo hard geraakt heeft. Hopelijk krijgt de mama (die het al zo moeilijk had), alle mogelijke steun.
In wat voor een fucked up wereld leven wij toch.
Sad.
Had a bad feeling first time reading the story this afternoon. As a parent of a 3yo this makes my stomach turn inside out.
Hope he gets a life sentence, if it were my kid he’d be happy I won’t do the same to him.
Het voelde al niet goed aan maar stiekem hoop je toch altijd op een “goede afloop”. Damn…
This evil scumbag was already in jail for 10 years for the death of another kid due to his abuse and neglect.
Some people are beyond saving
Hoe iemand die een tweejarig kind zwaar mishandeld met de dood tot gevolg ooit nog een stap buiten een kooi mag zetten, laat staan al na 10 jaar… Absurd.
Another scumbag that should never’ve been running around. Always the same fucking story.
Fucking horrible. How fucked in the head do you need to be to kill a child? Let alone 2.
De dood van dit kind ligt op het Belgische rechtsysteem, niets meer over te zeggen. Als we ze toch niet levenslang gaan opsluiten kunnen we voor dit soort daders beter de doodstraf terug invoeren zover het aan mij ligt.
What the fuck. So he’s a fucking serial kid murderer?
Remember when politicians used to quit after something like this happened? I do
Afschuwelijk. Fuck maat, what else is there to say…
i hope that kidnapper gets a fun cellmate, one of those biker gangmembers 5 times his size that has kids of his own maybe.
As a single dad of a 10 year old twin this really breaks me. I’m just lucky my parents are always there 🙁
I’ve two siblings of 6 and 8 years old and tomorrow I’m going to hug and kiss them even more.
I’m so incredibly sorry for the mother and their loved ones, this is something no person should go through. There are no words to describe this tragedy.
I hope that little man is in a peaceful place now and I hope you have a support system to be there for you and to hug you whenever you’d feel like you’d need one.
Jarenlang socialisme, this is what you get. Socialisme laxisme.
This guy was already in jail for abusing his stepson with death as a result. He literally got out in 2020. WHY was he let out again???? Will the justice system do something about this?
For several decades we are now following the theories of some sociologists and criminologists that claim these freaks can rehabilitate into society. And as result put the rights of the perpetrator above the society
Can we now call it a day now, and lock these types with a lifetime sentence. I hope the people responsible for his release jump of the tallest tower.
Dead sentence can return for all i care.
Triest, diep triest
Can’t take stories like this anymore since I have children.
De monsters zijn de wereld niet uit. Mijn hart gaat uit naar de familie van dit jongetje. Dit raakt mij diep, ik heb een nichtje van 2 en een neefje van 5. Degoutant die man. Onbegrip.
Hopefully this changes the system so murderers get followed up their entire life if they are released. Although murdering children is an unspeakable crime that can not be forgiven.
OMG, how awful
Triest en beangstigend. Meer kan ik niet meer over zeggen.
Doodstraf moet terug, klinkt populistische. Ik weet het maar hoe ouder ik word hoe meer zie ik het als een oplossing.
Er is gewoon teveel gevallen van recidive bij zware criminelen.
Gods, this is horrible. I can’t imagine the absolute hellish nightmare this mother must go through. I’ve got three kids myself, and I have no idea how I’d be able to cope losing one of them.
When will they realize some people are just not fit for society anymore.
No matter how many hours of therapy, you just can’t change them if they do not want to change.
In my eyes the justice system in Belgium is equally responsible for what happened to Dean.
So I hope they also are held responsible and no other parent/sister/brother/aunt/uncle should have to go through this.
Shame on the whole justice departement that is just a mess.
Fuck… when it heard on the news I thought let the kid be alive. I don’t understand why people would do this to a 4 year old. I hope he gets a life sentence… My thoughts go to the mother…her life is broken because her baby boy will never com back…
inb4 “ontoerekeningsvatbaar”