On November 11, police from Heerhugowaard, near Alkmaar, made a gruesome discovery: they found the remains of a Dutchman who had been missing since 2021 — buried in his son’s freezer.
While the North Holland Public Prosecution Service has not commented on the ongoing case, sources of De Telegraaf reveal that the victim’s son has been arrested and remains in pre-trial custody.
The authorities are still investigating to confirm his role in his father’s murder.
Missing since 2021
Albert Visser (67) lived in the same house as his son, Tijmen (31), in a room he rented from him. As neighbours tell De Telegraaf, this arrangement caused much conflict between the two men.
The first hint of Albert’s disappearance dates back to late February 2021, when Tijmen filed a civil case against his father, likely about the dispute they had over the house — but the man did not show up in court.
Despite this, the police did not start searching for him until the next spring, months after a friend of Albert had reported him missing in October 2021.
Found in 2024
Earlier this month, investigators finally searched Albert and Tijmen’s house.
One conversation with Tijmen was enough to make him a suspect in the murder. The police came back the next day, ready to turn the house upside down and dig up the garden in the search — but none of that was necessary.
All they had to do was open the freezer, where they found Albert Visser’s remains, including his fingers, which made his identification fast and indisputable. His son was immediately arrested.
A missing diary entry
In the house, the investigators also found a diary that helped them identify a likely date for the murder.
Albert kept meticulous notes of his meter readings, which he annotated in the same diary every day. Since the last entry dates back to January 10, 2021, they think he was likely murdered between that day and the next.
A conflictual relationship
While the police have not released any conclusive statements about the murderer, all hints lead to Tijmen, including the difficult relationship he had with his father.
The two men were regularly heard and seen fighting, sometimes physically, in the house or on the street, the neighbours tell De Telegraaf.
Albert was known for causing a nuisance in the neighbourhood, often engaging in obscene behaviour publicly, to the point that he had been convicted for it.
As a result, Tijmen had a troubled childhood and youth. Lately, he was doing better and wanted his father out of the house to make his life more stable.
However, this plan came to a tragic end. “The son had become a decent boy. I think of a fight that got out of hand,” said one neighbour, “something terrible must have happened.”
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