A suspect in the murder of a Dutch boy 20 years ago has been arrested in Spain, following the largest DNA testing programme in the Netherlands' history.
Eleven-year-old Nicky Verstappen disappeared during the night in August, 1998, while at a summer camp at a nature reserve near the German border, The Guardian reports. His body was found the next evening, near the camp site.
Police in Limburg, the southern district of the Netherlands in which the boy disappeared said a 55-year-old man, Jos Brech, was arrested in Spain on Sunday and will be handed over to the Netherlands.
The arrest follows a Europe-wide manhunt sparked by the largest DNA testing programme in the Netherlands' history, in a cold case that has gripped the country since 1998.
Police in the southern city of Maastricht said late last week that more than 200 people had called in following an appeal for tips about the possible whereabouts of Brech, a former scout and playgroup worker.
He was described as a survival specialist.
SHARE ME