Solved Murders - True Crime Stories - The Canal Killer of Amsterdam Detective Eva’s Hunt Through Shadows and Deceit #25

Starting point is 00:00:00 Amsterdam is one of those places that looks like it straight out of a painting, cobblestone streets, cozy bridges, canals like ribbons weaving through the city. It's the kind of place you visit and think, yeah, this is where I want to drink overpriced coffee and pretend I understand abstract art. But behind all the postcard beauty, in the autumn of 2023, something dark started to creep in, something that would flip the whole city upside down. It kicked off with a body. Not just any body, but Maria Jansen, a local artist, kind of known in the bohemian corners of the city. She was the type who painted with her fingers and drank wine from teacups. People loved her eccentric vibe. So when she turned up dead in one of the quieter canals, people freaked out.

Starting point is 00:00:48 It wasn't just a drowning. No, Maria had bruises, cuts, and the kind of damage that told cops this wasn't an accident. Someone did this to her. Enter Detective Eva Vermeer. Now, Eva wasn't your average suit and badge type. She was sharp, no nonsense, and carried herself like someone who'd been through hell and back, and won. Her superiors gave her the case because if anyone could untangle a mess like this, it was Eva. But even she didn't realize how deep this rabbit hole would go.

Starting point is 00:01:21 She started with Maria's life, friends, family, lovers. art buyers. What stood out was her recent habit of meeting guys through dating apps. It seemed harmless enough, right? Modern world, modern romance. But when the autopsy report came back, things got twisted. Maria had been drugged with something strong. It wasn't just a crime of passion. This was planned, executed with cold precision. The media went nuts. They called the killer the canal killer, and plastered his nickname everywhere. Talk shows, podcasts, YouTube theories. Tourists cancelled trips. Bars started closing early. Women who once roamed the streets in carefree heels were now walking in pairs, gripping pepper spray. Amsterdam had officially lost its chill.

Starting point is 00:02:17 But Eva, she wasn't shaken. She was pissed. Every day, she drowned in files and surveillance footage. She hunted patterns, chased leads, interrogated weirdos and perves until her voice went hoarse. And then, finally, a break. A small one, but still. All the victims had been seen near a quaint little cafe tucked in the Jordan district. It wasn't a hot spot, more like a place you stumbled into when your phone died and your feet hurt. Eva went undercover. She traded her badge for a notebook and pretended to be just another lonely heart-sipping over-priced espresso. That's when she met Lucas. Now, Lucas was slick in that low-key, soft-spoken kind of way.

Starting point is 00:03:05 He always sat alone, didn't stare too long, didn't say too much. But his eyes, man, those eyes were always working, scanning, studying. Eva's gut whispered, it's him. She didn't have proof, but in the same. Instincts like hers didn't come from nowhere. So she played along. Over the next few weeks, she chatted with him more. Asked him about his job, vague IT stuff, his hobbies, people watching, oddly enough,

Starting point is 00:03:35 his views on life, pretty dark. He said weird things sometimes, about how people wear masks, how everyone has a shadow side. One night he told her, I think most people don't really want to be good. They just pretend because society expects it. Creepy. Yes. But also kind of poetic in a disturbing TED talk way. Then came the invite.

Starting point is 00:04:01 Lucas asked Eva if she wanted to see a hidden part of Amsterdam. Said it was special, something most locals didn't even know about. Alarm bells blared in Eva's mind, but she smiled and said yes. She strapped on a hidden mic, texted her team the location, and followed Lucas into the night. They walked through twisting alleys and passed silent canals until they reached a secluded spot by the water. The air smelled like old leaves and damp stone.

Starting point is 00:04:31 Lucas changed right there. Gone was the shy smile. His posture straightened, his voice flattened, and his whole energy shifted from flirty guy next door to full-on creep. He started talking. Not like someone confessing, but like he was reciting poetry. He talked about pain, about how people show their true selves when they're most vulnerable. About how he helped them reach that moment.

Starting point is 00:04:58 Eva didn't blink. She just listened, letting him hang himself with every word. Then he reached into his coat. That's when she gave the signal. Police swarmed in so fast it was like a magic trick. One second, it was just the two of them by the canal, and the next, red and blue lights were bouncing off the one. water. Lucas didn't resist. He just smiled, like he'd been waiting for the curtain to drop. The mic had caught everything. The details, the confessions, the tone of voice that sent shivers

Starting point is 00:05:32 down your spine. It was enough to bury Lucas so deep in prison, the rats wouldn't find him. After that, Amsterdam started to breathe again. Slowly. The bars reopened. The dating apps dusted themselves off. People started trusting strangers a little bit again. Eva. She went back to work. A little quieter. A little harder. She still walked the canals, still looked over her shoulder at shadows that lingered too long. But she never forgot Maria, or the others. And if some new monster ever tried to rise from the dark again, she'd be ready. Because the thing about cities like Amsterdam, them. They may look like postcards, but even postcards have corners where the light doesn't reach. The end.

Solved Murders - True Crime Stories - The Canal Killer of Amsterdam Detective Eva’s Hunt Through Shadows and Deceit #25

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