The police confirmed the information on Monday afternoon. Around noon, the body was found between the side of the canal and a boat by a person who lived in one of the houseboats on the water. Police agents were able to remove the body from the water with assistance from the fire department. A medical examination confirmed that the remains were those of the missing student.
The police investigation indicates that Pennink died due to drowning. There are no indications of foul play, according to a press release. ‘The investigation is now closed.’
Search
Pennink, who was studying law at the RUG, was last seen alive on Friday morning at a cafeteria on the Grote Markt, dressed in a costume. Camera footage shows him walking in the vicinity of Spilsluizen at 5:30 a.m. on Friday. Police dogs also traced his scent to the area. On Sunday, a unit of the National Police Agency was called in to search a section of the water with boats and sonar devices, but the search team found nothing at that time.
Pennink was a member of Vindicat. Around 200 acquaintances of Pennink, including members of Vindicat, conducted their own search on Friday, but that also failed to provide any leads.
Shocked
‘Our thoughts are with Wytze’s family and friends’, says Vindicat chairperson Stijn Derksen. The Dutch and Vindicat flags have been flying at half mast since Monday evening in front of the Vindicat building on the Grote Markt as the student association observes a week of mourning.
The RUG was also shocked by the news of the death of the 18-year-old student. ‘It’s very sad for the family’, says RUG spokesperson Gernant Deekens. ‘We wish them strength and will be there for them in whatever way we can.’
Along the railing of the Oude Kijk in ‘t Jat bridge, close to the spot where Wytze’s body was found, people have placed a portrait of him, dozens of flowers candles and handwritten notes. ‘Dear Wytze, we cannot believe that you’re gone. We will miss you very much’, reads one letter. ‘We wish everyone strength following this terrible news. You are in our thoughts.’
This is the second time this year that a student in Groningen fell into a canal and drowned after a night of going out. In May, the body of Hanze University of Applied Sciences student Sjoerd van Eijk was found in the canal on the Trompkade after he had been missing for several days. His death was also described as a ‘fatal accident’ by the police.
