Dutch police find bodies believed to be missing girl, caregiver: reports

Dutch police late Wednesday recovered a car with two bodies believed to be those of a missing disabled girl and her caregiver, from a waterlogged area after a massive search, local media reported.

Hundreds of police and volunteers launched a frantic hunt for 10-year-old Hebe Zwart and her caregiver Sanne Bos, 26, who disappeared in mysterious circumstances in the south of the country on Monday afternoon.

The search for the missing girl and young woman has gripped the Netherlands, with police saying they were following up on hundreds of tips.

Bos picked up Zwart from her daycare in the small town of Raamsdonksveer and the two were last seen Monday on the A59 highway between the town and Zwart’s home in Vught.

Late Wednesday, police tweeted they had found the car Bos drove submerged in a patch of water at a bypass near the southern city of Den Bosch.

Police did not immediately confirm whether anybody was in the car, but later a police spokesman told the NOS national broadcaster they had found two bodies.

“We have every reason to believe that they belong to Sanne and Hebe,” the officer said.

“What exactly happened still forms part of the police investigation,” the NOS added.

On Tuesday and Wednesday police also used a helicopter and sniffer dogs to look for the missing pair.

Police had previously said that Zwart needed 24-hour care because of her disability.

The Netherlands is criss-crossed by waterways and canals, meaning traffic accidents involving the water are not unknown.