Dentergem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A stabbing at Mariaburg Residential Care Center in Dentergem left 2 elderly residents dead and 1 woman critically injured. The suspect, a male resident, was arrested. Mayor Koenraad Degroote and Curando deputy director Anneleen De Roo expressed shock and support for victims.
2 elderly residents were killed and a third critically injured in a stabbing at the Mariaburg Residential Care Center in Dentergem early this morning, February 28, 2025. The attack occurred around 5 a.m., prompting an immediate response from police and emergency medical personnel.
Police captured the culprit, a male resident of the institution. The families of the victims have been informed. The police investigating the Mariaburg centre, which houses 88 residents and 10 short-stay rooms.
How will Dentergem address safety concerns after Mariaburg stabbing?
The stabbing at the Mariaburg Residential Care Center has caused anxiety for the facility and the municipality, according to Mayor Koenraad Degroote. Forensic investigators inspect the crime scene and help to determine the details of the incident. Authorities work to understand what led to this violence.
“For the residential care centre and the municipality, this is a shocking event,”
Says Mayor Degroote.
“Our thoughts now go first and foremost to the victims and their families.”
Anneleen De Roo, deputy director of Curando, the organisation overseeing the Mariaburg Residential Care Center, expressed deep sorrow over the stabbing incident. She stated that management and staff are deeply affected by the events and are fully cooperating with the police investigation.
She mentioned that the focus is on providing support to the victims’ families, residents, their families, and employees. Management is working to provide answers and maintain stability within the facility.
“Our attention is now focused on the relatives, the residents, their family members and our employees,”
Says De Roo.
“We receive many questions and we try to answer them as best we can.”
Kristien, a longtime staff member who continues to work at the centre through a flexi-job, described the disbelief among employees, recalling how her husband recognized the seriousness of the situation upon seeing emergency lights.
“My husband had noticed the flashing lights, then I knew it wasn’t right. That it would be something like this, we can’t fathom. This must be very hard for the employees,”
Says Kristien.
