Executive Summary
- Rotterdam police issued an Amber Alert for 10-year-old Wendy after she vanished Saturday afternoon.
- Investigators are actively considering abduction as a possible scenario.
- The child was last seen walking a familiar route from her home to her parents’ shop but never arrived.
- Search efforts are intensified by freezing weather and the child’s lack of a mobile phone.
ROTTERDAM — Authorities in Rotterdam issued an Amber Alert on Saturday regarding the disappearance of 10-year-old Wendy, with law enforcement officials stating they are treating the case as a potential abduction. The child was last seen leaving her residence on Paul Krugerstraat around 1:00 p.m. local time, intending to walk to her parents’ shop on Hilledijk, but she never arrived at the destination.
According to the Rotterdam police, the investigation is being handled as a priority matter given the circumstances of the disappearance. “Abduction is one of the scenarios we are seriously considering,” said police spokesperson Anna Wolff in a statement to Hart van Nederland. Investigators noted that the child was traversing a route she walks daily. The urgency of the search is compounded by current freezing weather conditions and the fact that the child is not in possession of a mobile phone.
Authorities have released a detailed description of the missing child to aid the public search. Wendy is described as having a dark complexion, black dreadlocks, and standing approximately 1.3 meters (4 feet 3 inches) tall with a normal build. At the time of her disappearance, she was wearing a black jacket, a purple hoodie, black pants, and black-and-brown boots. Police stated that while Wendy speaks limited Dutch, she is fluent in English.
Law enforcement operations have expanded to include both the immediate vicinity of Rotterdam and surrounding regions. “The family was home, and she was going to her parents’ store and never arrived. So it is, of course, a strange situation,” Wolff stated, emphasizing the concerns of both the police and the family.
Investigative Outlook
The activation of the Amber Alert system in the Netherlands underscores the severity with which authorities view this case. According to Dutch police protocols, such alerts are reserved exclusively for situations where a missing child is believed to be in imminent danger. Historical data indicates the national alert system is utilized infrequently, typically once or twice per year, signaling that investigators have credible reasons to fear for the child’s safety beyond a standard missing person report. The primary operational focus remains on immediate public mobilization to locate the child given the environmental hazards posed by sub-freezing temperatures.
