The investigation into the disappearance of the Belgian couple in Tenerife is gaining momentum. According to our information, three individuals were arrested simultaneously this Thursday afternoon. “Two people were arrested in Belgium and one person in Tenerife.”, confirms the federal prosecutor’s office, which does not specify in which cities the arrests took place. It appears that the two arrests occurred in Wallonia, more precisely in the Mons region. The suspects are believed to be Belgian-Italians.
It appears that the two individuals arrested in Belgium left the island of Tenerife after the discovery of the body of Laura Trappeniers, found dismembered off the coast of the island on April 27. Marc Olbrechts, her husband, is still missing. For the record, the couple who had lived in Tenerife since 2009 had been missing since April 22.
On May 4, the couple’s car was found on the main street of a hamlet, not far from where the couple lived. The car was reportedly unlocked. A knife, sunglasses and clothing were found in the vehicle, which was seized.
Spanish investigators initially had full jurisdiction over this dark affair, but local residents were concerned about the slow pace with which the investigation was progressing. It was also members of the neighborhood who rolled up their sleeves and found the couple’s car not far from the couple’s home.
In the event of worrying disappearances abroad, the procedure provides that Belgium can send a letter rogatory in collaboration with the host country in order to support local investigators and speed up the search. This was the case during the disappearance of Natacha De Crombrugghe in Peru in 2022 or that of Théo Hayez at the end of 2018. But in the present case, there is radio silence from the Spanish authorities.
A request for information was therefore made by the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office but this request remained a dead letter. It was only two weeks after the worrying disappearance that Spain responded favorably to Belgium’s request for collaboration. The expertise of Belgian investigators is valuable in this type of case. “In general, we can provide support and provide answers to various questions, carry out neighborhood surveys, telephone surveys, etc. Having access to the file also makes it possible to keep relatives informed of developments in the investigation. indicated Eric Van Duyse, spokesperson for the federal prosecutor’s office.
