Killing of Nicole van den Hurk

15-year-old Nicole van den Hurk (Dutch pronunciation: [niˈkɔl vɑn də(n) ˈɦʏr(ə)k; - dɛn -]) disappeared on 6 October 1995 in Eindhoven (the Dutch province of North Brabant), the Netherlands. Her body was found in the woods between Mierlo and Lierop on 22 November.

Van den Hurk's stepbrother confessed to the killing and was arrested in 2011, but released five days later due to a lack of evidence. He later claimed to have falsely confessed so that her body would be exhumed for DNA tests.

In January 2014, DNA collected from van den Hurk's remains and the crime scene led to the arrest of a man who had been convicted in other cases with the same modus operandi. The man, known as Jos de G. (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈjɔz də ˈɣeː]) (born 1967), was charged with rape and manslaughter. The trial began in 2015 and hinged on expert testimony from DNA analysts.

In November 2016, de G. was convicted of rape but acquitted of manslaughter and sentenced to five years' imprisonment. The prosecution appealed the acquittal, and in 2018 de G. was convicted of both rape and manslaughter, increasing his sentence to twelve years.

Background and disappearance

Nicole was born on 4 July 1980 in Erkelenz, Germany as Nicole Tegtmeier. Her mother, Angelika Tegtmeier, soon entered into a relationship with Ad van den Hurk. The three moved to the Netherlands where Angelika married Ad, and Nicole assumed his surname.

In 1989, Ad and Angelika divorced, and Ad won custody of Nicole. In April 1995, Angelika took her own life in Tilburg. Nicole was living with her grandmother in Tongelre at the time.