A British man who was stabbed to death in Heerhugowaard on Monday evening was the man Amsterdam detectives had spent eight years trying to trace over a 2017 double murder in the city, the police suspect.
The 52-year-old was found dead at a car garage on an industrial estate in the North Holland town, after officers were called to a violent incident in the evening.
According to reporting by the regional broadcaster NH and Het Parool, investigators believe he is the man sought since 2017 over the killing of Amsterdammer Pieter Hoovers, 54, and his Thai wife, Tae Naphaporn Kaewpanya, 32.
The police have not confirmed his identity, and the man was never arrested, charged or convicted.
Armed police, including specialist units and a helicopter, descended on the site on Monday after the report came in. One man was found fatally wounded. Attempts to resuscitate him failed and he was declared dead at the scene.
Two other men were wounded in the incident and taken to hospital, where they were arrested. A 44-year-old from the municipality of Velsen and a 65-year-old from Heerhugowaard. Both are being held in custody.
Police have launched a major investigation team and appealed for witnesses, but have declined to comment on what led to the violence. Officers have also asked the public not to circulate footage of the scene, citing respect for the victims’ families and the risk of harming the investigation.
The 2017 case
The bodies of Pieter Hoovers and Tae Naphaporn Kaewpanya were found on 17 July 2017 in a flat on the Ceintuurbaan in the De Pijp district of Amsterdam. Both had been shot dead, probably two days before they were discovered.
The couple lived in Thailand and were in the Netherlands on holiday. Hoovers had been a familiar figure in Amsterdam – a martial artist who ran a record label – before moving to Southeast Asia, according to Het Parool.
The killer was never caught. In May 2024, an Amsterdam cold-case team released new information, saying the couple had probably been killed by a British criminal who was filmed near the Ceintuurbaan three times on the day of the murders and dropped off by different vehicles. Prosecutors offered a €20,000 reward for information.
