Search for missing girl ends in tragedy   

By The Holland Times Wednesday 17 March 2010, 10:03

Milly Boele, a 12-year-old Dordrecht girl was found dead on Tuesday in a garden near her parents' home. Following her discovery, authorities arrested the garden's owner, a 26-year-old male police officer.

The circumstances surrounding the girl's death are still unknown and an investigation is ongoing. Missing since last week, police said only that however tradgic, finding Boele marks the end of a period of uncertainty.

The suspect is an officer employed by the Rotterdam-Rijnmond police corps. Apparently, he came to the police Tuesday with information about the case that led officers to arrest him immediately. Police then launched a search of his home at Schuilenburg and found Boele's body. State investigators will continue questioning the suspect, normal procedure when a suspect is an officer.

Boele's disappearance became national news last Thursday when a major search operation was launched and a country-wide Amber Alert was issued. Amber Alert director Frank Hoen, however, has said the police did not deploy the alert early enough. Resigning Minister of Justice and Home Affairs, Ernst Hirsch Ballin (CDA) made the same criticism of the delayed alert.

According to Hoen, the Amber Alert can be a lifesaving measure when issued within the first hours after a child is reported missing. In Boele's case, the alert was issued after one day. Hoen suggests that regional police be required to immediately report a missing child to national police force, KLPD where "there are experts who can assess whether an Amber Alert should be given."

Ministetr Ballin assured the Twede Kamer Tuesday that the Amber Alert is valuable, and should therefore receive additional funding. Because the system works best when rapidly deployed, he said a national standard of two hours notice should be established.