Investigators here to search for missing Dutch girl

A team of Dutch investigators is expected in Uganda today to carry out a search for Amsterdam medical student Sophia Koetsier, who went missing at Murchison Falls National Park in October last year.

Sophia, who was last seen on October 28 , 2015, came to Uganda in August last year for an eight week internship in a local hospital and after some time she and a friend traveled to Murchison Falls in Masindi for a short holiday. She reportedly went for a shower but never returned, a development that prompted her parents to raise money for the new investigation.

According to findsophia.org, a foundation set up to raise money for the search, several park rangers launched a search party within 15 minutes of her disappearance. The only trace of her found was a water bottle and some scraps of clothing though there is no physical evidence that she was attacked by wild animals or entered the water, the foundation says.

The team will search in areas where the local authorities did not, forensic pathologist Frank van de Groot said.

“In Ugandan terms, Sophia was carefully sought for, but it was quickly assumed that she fell into the water and therefore other scenarios were not properly considered,” he said, adding that the new investigation will look into all possible scenarios. “The parents of Sophia still know nothing and they have many questions. They cling to the hope that their daughter might even still be alive,” Van de Groot said.