Lokeren (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Law enforcement sanctioned the release of search notices for two missing females, including 13-year-old Femke Van Puymbroeck, who went missing at Lokeren station, and 17-year-old Jana De Boeck, who disappeared from Edegem on February 3rd, 2025 was found safe today.
Urgent search notices from the Belgian police seek two underage females named Femke Van Puymbroeck (13) and Jana De Boeck (17). The investigations into their disappearances prove to be separate cases. Femke Van Puymbroeck was spotted for the last time on February 3, 2025, at 12:30 PM at Lokeren station in East Flanders, while Jana De Boeck vanished during that same day after leaving her Edegem residence on Prins Boudewijnlaan in Antwerp at 6:00 pm.
The authorities have specifically requested community help to locate the girls while providing detailed information about their physical characteristics and clothing. The description of Femke shows her with a stocky physique carrying blonde hair in a bun. At the time of her disappearance, she wore light blue jeans, a blue hooded sweater, and a black and grey scarf. The young woman held a lilac backpack together with a small white handbag.
The average-built Jana stands at 1.70 meters tall, with long, light brown hair that she often wears in a ponytail. Jana wears glasses and left wearing light-coloured jeans and a purple sweater with a white zipper and hood combined with light-coloured sneakers. Kristof Aerts from the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office stated,
“She left without a coat. Given the cold night, we acted quickly and issued a search message“.
The search message resulted in finding Jana (17) of Edegem alive and well this morning. The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office declared the recovery of Jana. The public has no information about why she disappeared or what happened when she returned home.
Jana De Boeck from Edegem was discovered alive by the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office during the morning announcement at half past eight. Jana De Boeck stated:
” Fortunately, the 17-year-old girl was found in good health. She is now going to the hospital for a medical check-up,”
Says Kristof Aerts of the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office.
As a specialised Belgian organisation for missing children cases, Child Focus continues its active participation in locating missing girls. The emergency hotline operated by Child Focus, named 116 000, provides continuous service to gather information regarding these two girls. Child Focus makes it clear through their statements that even limited information about their missing status may help investigators find the girls.
How common are such cases in Belgium?
The Belgian authorities have encountered multiple challenges regarding missing child incidents throughout recent times. Child Focus surveys indicate that Belgium experiences hundreds of annual cases where minors disappear because of different scenarios, including running away or being abducted from their homes. The nationwide operations of Child Focus led to handling more than 1,000 cases of missing children in 2024, and community involvement helped resolve many of these cases.
Local authorities activate a double action when reports of missing persons arise by dispatching urgent search notices combined with community-based search operations. Most missing child cases get solved within brief time frames, yet there are circumstances when some disappearances endure without resolution.
