This is heartbreaking.
Mieke Oort, a 21-year-old woman from Massachusetts, was found dead Sunday morning in The Netherlands, after she was allegedly attacked by a man she met on Tinder.
According to reports, Mieke, of Winchester, moved into an apartment in Leeuwarden recently — located about 90 minutes away from Amsterdam. She had split from her boyfriend of two years, Michael van der Waal, and began to date a man identified as 27-year-old Thomas R. They met on Tinder and dated just briefly. But once she got back together with Michael, Thomas became enraged, allegedly stalking her.
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Speaking to local outlets, Michael claimed that the suspect harassed Oort via WhatsApp and even drove up and down her street. It’s also reported he placed a GPS tracking device on the young woman’s bike.
At around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, cops received a call about a fire in her apartment building. Once the flames had been extinguished, Mieke’s body was found dead inside. Two other men, aged 25 and 30, also suffered mild to severe injuries.
Authorities believe the fire was started by Thomas after he threw an incendiary bomb against the house to force the other residents out of the building. He apparently fought two male residents as well; it is unclear if these are the same men that were injured. At some point, he went upstairs and allegedly stabbed Oort with a sharp object. Van der Waal told Leeuwarder Courant:
“She didn’t want to continue [dating] him [and] because he couldn’t stomach that, he first stalked her for a while. And out of jealousy, he has now done this.”
While it seems like the boyfriend was aware that Thomas was becoming a problem, he did not think anything like this would happen, he revealed to Heart of the Netherlands:
“I didn’t see this coming.”
To make matters worse, he learned of his girlfriend’s death via social media! How traumatic! According to Michael, he saw reports trending on Twitter and then rushed to the apartment to see if the news was correct. He explained:
“I went straight here to see if it was really about her… apparently it was. It’s tough s**t, if I may say so.”
Uhh, yeah! That’s such a s**tty way to learn of such a sad loss!
Thomas managed to escape the crime scene before cops arrived, fleeing in a car toward the countryside. Along the way, he supposedly reached out to his parents, who he lived with in Leek. They were horrified and “perplexed” to learn what had happened — so much so that they called the cops on him!
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Cops arrested Thomas around 5 a.m. on Sunday near Leer, Germany. He is currently being held in Germany until he can be taken back to his home country for an interrogation. Netherlands Police said:
“As soon as the suspect is in the Netherlands, he will be taken into custody and will be interrogated.”
Oort’s sister Danique told WCVB 5 on the tragedy:
“She was my baby sister. We don’t really know how to cope with it.”
Danique reflected:
“She had just so much more to give and she had a lot of love for everyone. She was the sweetest, strongest woman I knew. She really just put everyone else before her. Everyone.”
The family has flown to the Netherlands to make arrangements. Holding back tears, she continued:
“Right now, we’re just trying to process this whole situation, and really say our goodbyes and make the necessary arrangements will have to do.”
Via Mieke’s LinkedIn, it appears she was studying at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences and had planned to be in the country for five years. She was pursuing a bachelor’s degree in leisure and events management and was expected to graduate in 2024. Our hearts break for her family and friends in this devastating time. Hear more from the family and see photos from the crime scene (below).
R.I.P.
The post 21-Year-Old Woman Found Dead After Tinder Date Allegedly Put GPS Tracker On Her Bike & Bombed Her Apartment Building! appeared first on Perez Hilton.
