Dutch police close 33-year investigation into student’s 1993 disappearance

Dutch police and the Public Prosecution Service have concluded their investigation into the disappearance of Tanja Groen, but the questions of what happened to the then-18-year-old and where she is remain unanswered, authorities said Monday. Groen vanished in the province of Limburg during the night of Aug. 31 to Sept. 1, 1993, after a party in Maastricht.

In the 33 years since, investigators pursued countless tips, examined many DNA profiles and other traces, and carried out several large-scale searches. Those included opening a grave and digging up a large area of heathland.

The De Gouden Tip foundation, founded by the late crime journalist Peter R. de Vries, offered a 1 million euro reward in 2021. It generated 1,000 new tips but produced no breakthrough.

In 1997, Belgian authorities examined a possible link to serial killer Marc Dutroux. Late last year, a Limburg cold case team investigated information from a prisoner. The efforts led nowhere.

“That Tanja has never been found is of course unacceptable,” said case prosecutor Dave Mattheijs. He called the decision to close the case “an extremely difficult decision, because solving that disappearance is our goal. Every somewhat plausible scenario has been pursued.” Authorities recently spoke with Groen’s parents, Corrie and Adrie Groen, about ending the investigation.

Hans Spronck of the Limburg cold case team said the case “is such an investigation that you always carry with you. We deeply regret that we have not been able to solve this case.”

Spronck added that if concrete information or “the golden tip” comes in anyway, police and prosecutors will “certainly” take up the case again.

“That the answers have not come is terribly sad,” said Annemiek van Spanje, director of the Peter R. de Vries Foundation. Speaking also on behalf of Corrie and Adrie Groen, the foundation expressed its great appreciation for everyone’s efforts.

“The Tanja Groen case is inextricably linked to the founding of the Peter R. de Vries Foundation,” the group said in a statement. “Peter R. de Vries hoped that offering a high reward in cold cases could make the difference. To make that possible, he founded Stichting De Gouden Tip.”