Heulmeisje still nameless after fifty years
Police have improved the DNA profile and conducted a new familial search, but an identity is still missing.
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Fifty years after a young woman was found near Maarsbergen, her identity has still not been established. Police say new DNA techniques and continuing tips are keeping the cold case investigation alive.
The young woman was found on 24 October 1976 near the former De Heul parking area along the A12 near Maarsbergen. It has never been established who she was. Police therefore still refer to her as the Heulmeisje.
Over the past two years, the cold case team of the Midden-Nederland police unit has improved her DNA profile. That profile was used to search for possible relatives in the DNA database for criminal cases. So far, the investigation has produced no match establishing her identity.
The Netherlands Forensic Institute is also examining whether the enhanced DNA profile can provide more information about her physical characteristics. Police emphasise that this investigation is still under way and that new techniques do not automatically lead to an identification.
Tips continue to come in, according to police. They are assessed individually, police say. The team also hopes that, in future, private databases can be used in cold cases under certain conditions.
Police also reported that the woman was reburied in a coffin in April 2026. After decades, she was thereby given her own grave, although her name is still missing. The case remains open to information that could help establish her identity, police say.
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Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The factual core is based directly on police statements and supplemented by a specialist cold-case source for the historical context. The text avoids unnecessary details and makes no statement about her identity or cause of death.
- confirmed The woman was found near Maarsbergen on 24 October 1976. — Reported by police and Stichting Coldcasezaken. source
- confirmed The DNA profile was improved and a familial search was conducted. — Reported by police. source
- confirmed Her identity has still not been established. — Reported by police. source
Editor's note
The date on which she was found, the improved DNA profile and the new familial search were reported by police. Her identity and cause of death have still not been established.Sources
- Nog steeds hoop om Heulmeisje na 50 jaar naam terug te geven — Politie
- Onbekende dode vrouw 'het Heulmeisje' 1976 — Stichting Coldcasezaken