Mieke Oort has been identified as the Massachusetts woman who was stalked and killed while studying in the Netherlands. Police arrested a “jealous” man she met on Tinder who investigators say was stalking her with a GPS device. Oort, who lived in Winchester, Massachusetts, was 21. She was killed on Sunday, March 6, 2022.
Oort’s former Tinder date turned murder suspect has been identified as 27-year-old Thomas R. Dutch law enforcement and media organizations in the Netherlands typically do not release a suspect’s full name prior to a criminal conviction.
Oort’s family said her father is Dutch and she has family in the Netherlands, where she has been studying and living in Leeuwarden. “She was my baby sister. We don’t really know how to cope with it. She had just so much more to give and she had a lot of love for everyone,” Danique Oort told WCVB. “She was the sweetest, strongest woman I knew. She really just put everyone else before her. Everyone.” Her sister said Oort grew up in Massachusetts.
Mieke Oort Was Stabbed to Death in Her Apartment in an Attack That Also Left 2 Men Injured, Dutch Authorities Say
The Dutch news site Boevenniewus reported that police called the suspect in Oort’s death, Thomas R., as a “jealous Tinder date.” He was arrested in Germany after fleeing from the scene in a vehicle, according to the news site.
According to WCVB, Dutch authorities said two men, ages 25 and 30, were also injured in the attack that left Oort dead. Details about how they were injured were not immediately available. Police said the suspect started a fire at Oort’s apartment. The two other victims were Oort’s roommates, according to Boevenniewus.
The Dutch news site reports the suspect first threw an incendiary device at the apartment building, sparking a fire. Police suspect he started the fire to lure the occupants of the building outside, according to Boevenniewus. He then attacked Oort and her roommates in a stairwell, police said. Oort was then stabbed to death with a sharp object, investigators told the news site.
According to Boevenniewus, Thomas R. worked as a service technician and lived with his parents and sister. He lives in Leek, about 100 miles outside of Amsterdam. Further information, including his full name, was not immediately available.
Oort’s Family Say Her Killer Put a GPS Tracker on Her Bicycle
FacebookMieke Oort.
Oort’s sister told WCVB that her killer had been stalking her after they met on the Tinder dating app. He had been tracking her location with a GPS device on her bicycle, Danique Oort told the news station.
“He put a tracker on her bike because in the Netherlands, you bike everywhere,” Danique Oort told WCVB. “Right now, we’re just trying to process this whole situation and really say our goodbyes, and make the necessary arrangements that we’ll have to do.”
Oort’s ex-boyfriend, identified only as Michael, also a 21-year-old American studying in the Netherlands, told Hart Van Nederland, they had remained friends after breaking up and were considering trying to date again, which angered the murder suspect. “I didn’t see this coming,” Michael told the news site. “I went straight here to see if it was really about her… apparently it was.”
Oort Graduated From High School in Massachusetts & Had Been Studying at the NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences Since 2020
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Mieke Oort graduated from Winchester High School in 2019, according to her Facebook page. She then began studying at the NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, according to her family.
Oort’s sister told WCVB her family traveled to the Netherlands to receive more information about the case. “She had the most beautiful soul,” Danique Oort told The Boston Globe.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Oort was set to graduate from NHL Stenden in 2024 with a degree in leisure and events management.