The accident theory initially retained
At the time of the tragedy, the theory of the accident had been obvious to everyone: police officers, ambulance drivers, magistrates.
Joeri Janssen, married for 9 years to Zoë Snoeks, quickly spoke to the press, explaining that his partner had taken a position at the edge of the rock, waiting for him to photograph her.
“But Zoë then told me to watch out for our two dogs who were approaching the edge. I turned towards them and told them to wait. It was then that my gaze redirected to Zoé, but she was no longer there. It must have happened in not even 5 seconds. I saw nothing, heard nothing. I looked up and saw only the fog.he explained to Latest News.
Zoë was found 50 meters below, lifeless.
Disturbing elements
During the summer of 2022, the case was put under investigation by the Antwerp public prosecutor’s office following a complaint from Zoë’s parents, who never believed in the accidental theory. There were tensions within the couple.
Antwerp investigators investigated and uncovered elements that were disturbing to say the least.
Just after Zoë’s death, her husband contacted professionals to delete a video on the young woman’s smartphone, taken on the Hérou rock. Investigators were unable to recover the images, according to Nieuwsblad, but the investigation shows that the filming of the video stopped abruptly.
It’s also strange that he didn’t immediately call for help. He cites a lack of mobile network. Furthermore, to find Zoë after her fall, he took a long descent instead of taking the shortest route.
Our colleagues from Nieuwsblad report that Joeri Janssen changed his version several times during his interrogations, such as when he initially denied having had an affair during their marriage, before finally admitting it.
Just as intriguing for the police and especially for the family, he very quickly replaced Zoë, since his new partner very quickly moved in with him.
Joeri Janssen also declared since the beginning of the investigation that he heard nothing when his wife fell several dozen meters. But a hiker undermined this version, declaring that he had heard a horrible scream at the foot of the rock at the time of the tragedy.
It will be up to the indictment chamber to decide whether these elements are sufficient to refer the young man to a criminal court.
