Antwerp (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): On July 16, 1993 17-year-old Tania Van Kerkhoven was murdered after leaving a party in Wommelgem Belgium. Her unsolved case is being reinvestigated using modern DNA techniques.
On Friday July 16, 1993, Tania Van Kerkhoven, a 17-year-old from Edegem wanted to go to a party at De Wommel youth center in Wommelgem. Her parents were on holiday in Spain but Tania decided to stay in Belgium a bit longer. She stayed with a friend and planned to go to Spain after the party. Her flight was set for the day after the event. Tania was really excited about the party that night at De Wommel. She couldn’t wait to join the fun. The place was popular among young people for its lively events and Tania was looking forward to a memorable evening there with all the local teens. While Tania’s parents were in Spain she wanted to enjoy time with her friends before going to Spain herself. She had everything planned staying with a friend, going to the party and then flying to Spain. This way she could have fun with her friends and still meet her parents on their vacation.
What happened to Tania Van Kerkhoven on her way home from the party in 1993?
Tania left the party in Wommelgem around 1 a.m. She dropped off a friend in Deurne on her moped and then went home to Edegem but never made it there. The next morning her body was found in Brilschanspark near the Antwerp ring road in Berchem. She had been stabbed seven times and her body was moved into the bushes by the killer. Tania’s moped was found in Wommelgem where she had left it locked. She rode her moped home but she never made it. It’s possible she got into someone’s car at that location. Residents heard screams between 2:30 and 3:00 raising suspicions. The mystery of what happened to her and who killed her remains unsolved even 31 years later. Despite investigations and DNA evidence left by the killer no suspects matched the DNA trace found on Tania’s boots.
How will new DNA techniques impact the investigation into Tania Van Kerkhoven’s murder?
The murder investigation is getting a fresh start. Investigators are using new scientific method, including advanced DNA techniques to re-examine the case. The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office and the Federal Judicial Police are tactically reviewing the case while the NICC is applying modern scientific techniques not available in 1993. This new approach aims to uncover more of the perpetrator’s DNA on Tania’s clothes and objects in Brilschans Park.
Tania’s parents Wim Van Kerkhoven and Annie Dillen are aware of the new developments in the case and are hopeful. They mentioned that an investigating judge has been appointed again and they are looking forward to potential progress. The Leuven public prosecutor’s office is conducting a new DNA investigation into the death of Freddy Putseys which was reopened in 2023 after the Bureau Van Meerbeeck a group that investigates cold cases looked into it. Tania’s mom and dad asked for help from the research group in March 2019. The researchers found out that three criminals who had been convicted lived close to Tania. The lawyer for Tania’s parents Geert Schouppe believes in the new investigation by the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office and hopes for good news.
