Three suspects arrested in connection to alleged murder of Dutch volleyball player

Police in Valencia have arrested three men in connection with disappearance and alleged murder of a champion female volleyball player from the Netherlands and her partner, who both went missing on May 13.

Investigators said they found the bodies of Ingrid Visser, 36, and Lodewijk Severin, 57, partly buried in a crop field near the small Murcia town of Alquerías. The suspects arrested were identified as a 36-year-old Spaniard and two Romanians, aged 47 and 60.

According to police sources, both victims “died under violent circumstances,” and the suspects allegedly tried to bury their bodies but didn’t dig holes that were deep enough. Sniffer dogs helped in determining where the corpses were buried.

Although details of the investigation have not been made public, judicial sources said that the suspects are linked to organized crime in Eastern Europe.

Visser, who was a member of the Netherlands's gold medal-winning team at the European Championships in 1995, and played for a volleyball team in Murcia between 2009 and 2011, was last seen with her partner on May 13 when they left the Churra-Vistalegre Hotel in Murcia where they were staying. The case had sparked intense media interest in the Netherlands, where she lived with her boyfriend.

The pair reportedly came to Spain for medical treatment. Their rental vehicle, a Fiat Panda, was found some days later park in the center of town.

Severein’s family held a news conference asking for Murcia citizens to search for the couple.

According to the government delegate in Murcia, police found “signs of violence” at a farmhouse in the town of Molina where they believe the couple was taken.

A Dutch officer is also taking part in the Spanish investigation.