After nearly two weeks of uncertainty, Hajar’s family learned on Friday, October 16, that the 29-year-old Moroccan woman living in Amsterdam had been found dead.
She had been missing since Sunday, October 4, when she was last seen before her body was discovered in the water along Amsteldijk, in Amsterdam-Zuid, near the Utrechtsebrug bridge.
According to Dutch newspaper Het Parool, police were alerted to a suspicious situation in the area at around 08:30 on Friday. Officers found the young woman’s body and determined that her death resulted from a criminal act. The exact circumstances of her death remain unknown, as does the location where the crime may have taken place.
A disappearance that raised serious concerns
The search began after Hajar’s family reported her missing on October 5. Dutch police quickly expressed serious concerns about her safety and health.
According to the initial information released by authorities, she was last seen on Sunday, October 4, near the RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre in Amsterdam. She reportedly left the area by bicycle, heading towards the Buitenveldert district with a man whose identity has not been disclosed. According to the police appeal for information, they were riding a black women’s bicycle.
Police issued a missing-person notice seeking information that could help locate Hajar. She was between 1.65 and 1.70 metres tall, with dark, curly hair and dark eyes.
According to police, she had been wearing a tiger-print dress and white New Balance shoes the day before she disappeared. Investigators could not confirm whether she was still wearing those clothes when she went missing.
Investigators focus on criminal circumstances
The discovery of Hajar’s body prompted a major police operation involving specialist criminal investigation and forensic teams. Part of Amsteldijk remained cordoned off until the afternoon as investigators worked to establish what had happened.
According to De Telegraaf, the body was found inside a suitcase. Accounts from local residents cited by the newspaper mention a passerby who reportedly spotted the suitcase and alerted the authorities. Other residents reportedly said police were looking for a man carrying a suitcase. However, law enforcement authorities have not confirmed these details.
Investigators have not yet disclosed how Hajar was killed or where the crime may have occurred. The identity of the man seen with her before her disappearance, and any possible connection he may have to the case, have not been publicly established in the available reports.
Family asks for privacy
Through the victim support organization Namens de Familie, Hajar’s relatives expressed their profound grief after days of uncertainty. They now wish to say goodbye to the young woman in private and without public attention.
“The disappearance of a loved one is devastating. The uncertainty is extremely difficult to endure,” the family said, according to a statement carried by Dutch media.
