#schalkwijk family drama

[truecrimenetherlands]

The Schalkwijk Family Murders

(This case is one that hits very close to home, since I grew up very close to this village. One of the victims even went to high school with my sister, the exact same high school that I entered just a year after this took place. Because of the way that the Netherlands regulates media information about these kinds of cases, the last names of the victims/perpetrator are not known. I personally know them, since I know quite a lot of people who live in this village, but out of respect for the victims I won’t mention them. This is my first time posting something like this, excuse me if my English is flawed.)

In the morning of the 21st of October, 2012, the fire department of Schalkwijk (The Netherlands), was called about a farm on the outskirts of the village being on fire. The firemen were expecting an ordinary fire, but stumbled across a terrible scene upon arriving. The fire itself had not done a lot of damage, but it quickly became clear that something more horrific had taken place in the house. In the farmhouse, they discovered four dead bodies, untouched by the fire. 

Schalkwijk's main road

Schalkwijk is a small town in the centre of the Netherlands. It is located near Utrecht, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, and lies within the county of Houten. A little less than 2000 people live in Schalkwijk, and it is a very tight-knit community. It has a small village centre, with a restaurant, supermarket, church, and primary school. One of the more important railways in the Netherlands crosses straight through Schalkwijk, yet Schalkwijk only has a few bus stops. The village is located between the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal (a channel connecting Amsterdam with Germany), and the Lek (one of the Netherlands biggest rivers). Apart from the small village centre, where most of the inhabitants live, there are a few big farms alongside the Honsdijk, which is a dam next to the Lek (on the Southside of the village).

The farm in which the murders took place, seen from the Honsdijk

Before moving to Schalkwijk, Rob W. (43) lived in Houten (a small city only a few miles up north from Schalkwijk) together with his daughter, Anouk (11) his wife Rianne (46) and her two children from a previous marriage, Samantha (15) and Dylan (19). In May of 2012, the family bought a farm in Schalkwijk, and moved there around September, about a month before the murders. They had purchased a farm located on the Honsdijk, on the southside of the village. According to neighbours and acquaintances, the family had planned on turning the farm into a Bed and Breakfast, or perhaps a small café where bikers (The Honsdijk is a very populair place to bike) could grab some food or a drink. Rob W. had always dreamt of living somewhere peaceful, and the farm seemed to be perfect for this. Rob W. had a great job at one of the biggest online stores in the Netherlands. Rianne worked for the city council of Houten.

The street where the family used to live, before moving to Schalkwijk

The family was known for having issues. Old neighbours mentioned Rob W. having aggressive tendencies. He has been described as very dominant, correcting and controlling, and as someone with two personalities. On one hand he was very caring and nice, and on the other very dominant and aggressive. Old neighbours, who lived on the same street as the family in their previous home in Houten, mentioned hearing doors being slammed shut whenever music was being played too loud. One time, the neighbours across their streets had their dryer standing below an open window. Rob W. threw a tantrum, stating that it was too loud of a noise. He was described as the dominant person in the household. Other acquaintances recalled Rianne and Rob having many fights, and thinking to themselves that Rianne should have gotten a divorce. There have been rumours about the family having financial issues, and an acquaintance of the family even mentioned Rob W. telling him that buying the farm was the biggest mistake of his life. These are, however, just rumours.

The farm where the murders took place, once again pictured from the Honsdijk

In the early hours on Sunday, the 21st of October 2012, Rob W. brutally murdered Rianne, his daughter Anouk, and his stepdaughter Samantha. His stepson, Dylan (19), was visiting his biological father in another city at the time of the murders. After having killed his wife and daughters, Rob W. set the farm on fire and committed suicide (there have also been reports of him dying because of the fire). The police never released information about how the murders were executed, but it has been made clear that there was no use of a firearm. Although not a single news article mentions the way in which the murders were committed, the truth was a known fact in the community of Schalkwijk (and Houten, where I grew up). According to the town tale (which could be a rumour, but I believe it to be true), Rob W. murdered his family by beating them with a brick and slashing/stabbing them with a knife. Around 8.30 am, neighbours contacted the fire department after realizing that the farm was on fire.

Emergency services, forensic teams, and police officers researching the crime scene on the 21st of October.

There are different theories about the motives for these murders. Many people believe that Rob W. simply snapped that night. Others believe that the fact that his dream of opening a Bed and Breakfast was failing, since the family lacked the amount of money needed, had something to do with his actions as well. There has been research done about the mental health of Rob W. by the national forensic institute. They concluded that he had multiple disorders and was suffering from a lot of stress. Friends of Dylan, the son, contacted him about the fire. He tried calling his family multiple times, but did not get a response. It was his 20th birthday that day. His name was barely mentioned in the media, and not much is known about him or about what he's doing right now. In response to the murders, the community of Schalkwijk was shocked, even though the family had only lived in the village for a few months.

Flowers were being placed next to the road leading to the farm 

Personally, I was in 6th grade when the murders happened. My best friend at the time knew the youngest daughter, Anouk, from horseback riding. At my primary school, we sat down with the entire class and talked about the situation, and if any of us knew the victims. The youngest daughter was a student at the primary school in Schalkwijk, the St. Michelsschool. They set up a memorial for her there. The oldest daughter, Samantha, was a student at College de Heemlanden, a high school in Houten. My sister was a student at the school during that time. She remembers all of the students coming together in the cafeteria and there being a memorial as well. Nearby the school, students also released balloons into the air to pay respects to Samantha. I enrolled in that same high school the year after. A picture of Samantha was placed near the entrance of the school, together with a few other things that were placed at her initial memorial. The picture has been removed now, after every student that went to the school during the murders has graduated. I was pretty young when it happened, and I didn’t completely understand what had happened, but I remember my entire city being in shock (I grew up in Houten. Schalkwijk and Houten are very close connected, since they are just a few miles apart). These murders are still something that every person in Schalkwijk and Houten remembers, even if we never found out the reason why Rob committed this horrible crime.

A picture from Samantha's memorial, located in College de Heemlanden (The high school that she was enrolled in)

Student from College de Heemlanden gathered in front of the school, to release coloured balloons in memory of Samantha. The city council building, where Rianne was working, is located next to the large clocktower seen in the back of the picture.

A picture of Anouk's memorial, set up at a local church in Houten, where a service was held in honour of Anouk, Samantha, and Rianne. Over 800 people attended the service.

A picture of the funeral procession