Body wrapped in plastic found in Brecht canal near Kleistraat

Kleistraat (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A corpse was found in Brecht’s canal situated near Kleistraat. The victim’s corpse was wrapped in plastic foil. The identity of this individual has not been determined yet. A public prosecutor has petitioned for a murder investigation judge.

The recovery of a body from the Kleistraat canal employed plastic foil for burial. The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office requested the appointment of an investigating judge to consider the case as suspected murder. Law enforcement authorities need to identify the victim before they proceed with an autopsy for additional information.

A citizen making their daily walk discovered the corpse in a depression inside meadows beyond Kleistraat and notified law enforcement about it at noon.

Public prosecutor staff members and forensic experts, along with investigators, joined the site later in the afternoon. 

Police continue to investigate both the victim’s identity and the complete details of the death. A medical examination of the deceased will both determine the cause of death and help identify who they are.

How common are homicides and body discoveries in Antwerp?

Official crime data from Antwerp Province shows that homicides occurred at a rate of 30 to 40 cases per year over the past decade, according to Belgian federal police statistics. 

The Antwerp judicial district controls about 15 to 20% of all homicides officially recorded in Belgium every year. From 2018 to 2022, at least five victims were recovered from waterways or distant locations, and two perpetrators used concealment methods resembling those used in this murder.

Belgian police records indicate that detectives reach nationwide homicide solutions at a rate of about 65% per year, but unidentifiable body cases demand longer investigation times due to complicated forensic evidence analysis.

Organised crime activities have increased in Antwerp recently, with the latest Federal Police statistics showing that such crimes contributed to close to 30% of the region’s total homicide cases during 2022.

The rare discovery of bodies in waterways and rural areas requires major forensic involvement, according to the National Institute of Criminology, which reports that 12% of hidden bodies in Belgium discovered since 2010 were found in these locations.

Temporally, identification and autopsy routines require 48 to 72 hours in urgent situations, yet can extend if dental or DNA profiles are necessary. Since 2020, the Antwerp prosecutor’s office has investigated three similar cases that ended up being murders and managed to detain two perpetrators.

Law enforcement in Belgium stresses partnership with Interpol and EU databases to identify victims who remain unidentified, resulting in about 8% of annual homicide cases in the country.