40-year-old woman killed in Amsterdam home

The case began when 40-year-old Leonie, who worked at ABN Amro, was found lifeless on 26 March 2026 in her home on Koninginneweg in Oud-Zuid, where she lived with her partner and their young child. Although the exact cause of death was not immediately released, detectives launched a major investigation right away. Strong indications soon emerged that she had not died of natural causes but had been killed. In early April that led to the arrest of her 39-year-old partner, Clen V. The case became even more striking when a direct colleague of Leonie's was found dead shortly afterwards in a car near Nieuw-Vennep station; a 36-year-old Italian man was arrested in that separate case. Because the deaths happened close together and both women were colleagues, police extensively investigated a possible link. Their conclusion was that, however bizarre, it was a tragic coincidence: no connection was found between the two cases. On 1 July 2026 the case against Clen V. opened with a first preliminary hearing at the Amsterdam district court. Prosecutors suspect him of murder: he allegedly administered toxic substances to Leonie and held her head under water so that she could not breathe. V. denies any involvement and called the accusation bizarre in court. His lawyer, Sophie Hof, argues that no cause of death has been established and that a natural death — heart failure or exhaustion — cannot be ruled out, pointing out that there were no signs of a struggle, a skull fracture or strangulation. The court kept him in pre-trial detention. At the second preliminary hearing, on 23 September 2026, prosecutors said a DNA trace of V. had been found on Leonie's leg which, according to experts, got there only after her death. She was found in the bath with the tap still running; the water was 54 degrees. According to the prosecution, gas and electricity use that night was unusually high and V. washed bathrobes, towels and a bath mat, presumably to remove traces. A first post-mortem did not establish a cause of death; the report of a second is awaited. V. remains silent and stays in custody until the next hearing on 3 December 2026.