The body of young Raul was recovered from the Houtdok in Ghent on April 13, 2023. He was in a sports bag weighted with stones and was apparently thrown into the water at the end of January. His mother, aged 35, was arrested for involuntary manslaughter, assault and concealment of the body. In her first statements, made before the discovery of Raul’s body, the mother had affirmed that she had nothing to do with his death. She blamed her ex-partner, but her daughter later said her mother and her partner were present when the body was thrown into the water.
The ex-companion, also 35 years old, was arrested on April 14, 2023 in the Dutch town of Bakel. He is suspected of the same facts as the mother and was handed over to Belgium. The man initially said he had nothing to do with the boy’s death. During a confrontation, he and the mother both said that Raul’s minor sister had also allegedly hit the child.
The investigation was then extended to the girl, who was interviewed again. The content of her statement is not known but she was placed in a juvenile institution by the youth judge. The continuation of the investigation aimed to clarify the possible involvement of the three suspects. The autopsy of the boy’s body, which remained in the water for a long time, did not shed light on the circumstances of the death.
Belgium
