Anne Faber: A Disappearance and Tragic Murder that Uncovered Deep Flaws in the Justice System

In this episode of The Lowest Crime, we take a look at the heartbreaking case of Anne Faber, a 25-year-old woman who went missing during a bike ride around Utrecht in September 2017. We discuss the intense search efforts, the arrest of  Michael P., and the shocking details of the crime.

We'll also talk about the impact of Anne's case on the Dutch justice system, leading to significant reforms in the handling of violent offenders. Listen to hear the impactful story of Anne Faber, a true crime story of tragedy and the pursuit of justice.

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Chapters

• 0:27 The Case of Anne Faber
• 15:51 Advocacy and Legacy of Anna Faber

Transcript

Hi, and welcome to the very first episode of The Lowest Crime, a podcast about true crime cases that happened in one of the lowest countries in the world, the Netherlands. I am Eline, and in today’s episode will take a look at the tragic death of Anne Faber, a case that shook the country and raised serious questions about the justice system. 

Before we start, please be advised that today's episode contains details about violence and sexual assault that some listeners may find disturbing.

And although I try my very best to bring you all the known facts, I am still just an amateur podcast creator and there is always a chance of me making an error. So let's dive in. 

Anne Marlijn Faber was a vibrant and intelligent 25 year old woman. Anne lived in a student house in Utrecht and was known for her unique ability to connect and inspire people. Her father, Wim, was confident she would find her way in life, no matter what path she'd choose. Her uncle, Hans, wrote in his book Anne: Anne could party like there's no tomorrow, work incredibly hard when she had set her mind to something, and a few days later she would lay on the couch for hours binge-watching romantic comedies.

Speaker 1: 1:30

Anne completed a bachelor's in business administration and pursued a master's in cultural economics and entrepreneurship in Utrecht, where she excelled and made many new friends. Anne always aimed high, aspiring to become a museum director, and not just any museum, but places like the Guggenheim in New York. Despite a busy social life and multiple commitments, she always worked hard to achieve her goals. Her friends remember her vibrant energy and how she lived life to the fullest. Since she was always so busy, she loved going on a bike ride to escape her hectic life, often riding outside the city to clear her mind, especially now that she was juggling her first real job and taking care of her boyfriend, nathan, who had recently sustained a serious back injury. And that's exactly why, on September 29th 2017, around 5pm, anne decided to go on a bike ride around Utrecht. It was intended to be a 20km loop that would take around 3 hours to complete. As she pedalled through the countryside, a heavy rainstorm hit, drenching her. She took a selfie pouting and holding her fingers up in a peace sign, and sent it to her boyfriend, nathan. Little did he know that this would be the last he'd ever see of her?

Speaker 1: 2:51

When, around 8pm, anne didn't return home as expected, nathan grew increasingly worried. He checked all alternative scenarios, but after none of his messages seemed to reach Anne's phone and she would not answer any of his calls he seemed to reach Anne's phone and she would not answer any of his calls. He decided to call Anne's mother, elze, to inform her that Anne had not returned home from her bike ride. Elze, deeply concerned, went to the police to report her daughter missing. This was nothing like Anne. She would never just stay out without telling anybody. Seeing the urgency in Elsa's expression, the police took immediate action. Meanwhile, nathan and Elsa spent all night searching the woods for Anne, but after finding no trace of her around 4am, they concluded that there was no other option than to return home for now. Concluded that there was no other option than to return home for now. The area was just too big to search with just two people.

Speaker 1: 3:48

The initial police search for Anne began with 30 officers combing through the paths she might have taken. Despite their efforts, no significant leads were found. A police helicopter equipped with a thermal imaging camera joined the search, scanning the landscape for any sign of Anne, but again nothing. Friends and family weren't idle either. They organized their own search operations near Soestdijk Palace and de Hilversumseweg in Baarn, where Anne's last selfie was taken. In the meantime, the police was also trying to get information from Anne's phone, but were hindered by a telecom malfunction.

Speaker 1: 4:28

On October 3rd 2017, a breakthrough happened when a few of Anne's friends found a jacket near the Amerfordsweg in Huis der Heide, which was later confirmed to belong to Anne. The area was cordoned off and forensic experts began their examination. This discovery marked a turning point, with police efforts and family searches becoming more cohesive. This is also when the military started providing additional resources and support. The next day, the mobile unit MA searched the area around the Amervoortseweg in Huisterheide. Forensic specialists and sniffer dogs were deployed and the police secured and examined the found items thoroughly. As the search expanded, over a hundred friends and family members joined the police and defence specialists.

Speaker 1: 5:20

On October 5th 2017, a significant discovery was made A bicycle. It was found in a pond near Bloker Park. The bicycle was retrieved and the pond was drained for further forensic investigation. The next day, forensic investigators found a backpack in Bloker Park, believed to be Anas. The backpack, along with the earlier discovered bicycle and jacket, were analysed by the Netherlands Forensic Institute NFV.

Speaker 1: 5:52

Despite these discoveries, the search continued, with no new significant evidence found over the following days. But then a breakthrough the earlier found jacket contained DNA and based on that information, the police shifted their focus to a 27-year-old man residing in a forensic psychiatric facility in Lendolder. The subject, michael P, was closely monitored and on October 9th 2017, he was arrested. The police initially held off on his arrest in hope that he would lead them to Anne. But on October 9th, they couldn't wait any longer. During the arrest, the police were quite rough with him, in hope that that would get him to give up on his location. However, sadly, all it did was sustain him a broken shoulder that he would try to use in his defense later on. After the arrest, his residence was sealed and forensic specialists began searching for evidence.

Speaker 1: 6:58

But who was this? Michael P, michael Panhuis, or Michael P as we would all come to know. Him had been serving a prison sentence for the brutal rape of two underage girls, a crime he had said he was proud of and that it had been a dream come true. The news that Anne had most likely fallen victim to somebody with that kind of history was a devastating blow to friends and family, but the fact that somebody had been arrested also meant that they were one step closer to finally finding Anne. The police managed, with smart interrogation techniques, to get Michael P to confess to the crime and reveal the location of Anne's body. He confessed that he had raped and killed her, and he confessed not out of guilt or empathy but purely for self-preservation, hoping for a lower sentence if he cooperated. The information that Michael provided moved the search to Zeewolde. Search teams, including police dogs and a helicopter, covered the area extensively. On October 12, 2017, the tragic news came that Anne's body had been found. Following a tip from Michael P, the area around Het Lilderpad was cordoned off and this is where forensic experts discovered her body. The news that Anne had finally been found was a relief for the family, but with that also absolutely heartbreaking, because there was no more hope, her family said. The darkest scenario has come true our dearest Anne is no more.

 This is what Michael said happened on that fateful day. Anna was on her bike ride when she encountered Michael on his scooter. He said a collision happened and he first asked her if she was okay. Anne then insisted on calling the police. However, his scooter was uninsured and Michael, fearing the repercussions, says he panicked. He claimed that up until that moment, he had no intention of harming Anne.  Yet, He showed a knife, destroyed Anne's phone, and forced her into the nearby woods.

Speaker 1: 12:31

There he subjected her to a brutal sexual assault and, despite his claims of intending to let her go afterwards, things took a dark turn when Anne tried to resist. A struggle followed and Anne managed to stab him in his hand, but this only escalated his violence. He bound her with zip ties, placed her on a scooter and drove further into the forest. At Susterberg Air Base they climbed over a fence, reaching a secluded area. Anne's screams for help caught the attention of the passerby, enraging Michael. He struck her and, in a sudden, fatal decision, slit her throat. Anne's life was tragically cut short.

Speaker 1: 13:19

In the aftermath, michael tried to cover his tracks. He moved Anne's body, stripped her of her clothes and scattered her belongings across different locations. Hours were spent attempting to erase any evidence. He put Anna in his mother's car and drove to a forest in Zeewolde, a place he had known from his childhood. After disposing of Anna's body, michael continued his efforts to return to normalcy. He cleaned his car, visited family and even spent time with his pregnant girlfriend, all while Anna's family was desperately searching for her. In the days that followed, p indulged in drugs and visited sex workers, seemingly unaffected by the gravity of his actions. Even in his confession, p struggled to explain his actions, claiming he was overwhelmed by thoughts of her family and the consequences of his actions.

Speaker 1: 8:45

An investigation was launched into the Altrecht clinic in Den Dolder, where Michael P had been a patient. The question was raised how somebody with such a high risk profile was allowed to take leave from the clinic, and another very significant question that was raised was why Michael P had only been serving a prison sentence. He was in the clinic for reintegration into society, not for a TBS treatment. For those unfamiliar with the Dutch legal system, tbs stands for Terbeschikkingstelling, which translates to detained under hospital order. It is a measure that is imposed on individuals who have committed serious offenses but are deemed to have diminished responsibility due to a mental disorder, and therefore they are treated in a psychiatric facility with the goal of rehabilitation. In this treatment, it is the clinic that decides whether or not a patient is ready to get back into society or if they are in need of further treatment. They can therefore indefinitely extend the treatment. However, for some unexplained reason, michael P was not previously sentenced to TBS, but just a prison sentence, and he was therefore happily working on his reintegration into society.

Speaker 1: 10:11

For a successful reintegration of detainees into society, the gradual granting of freedoms is essential. Michael's re-socialization process began when he was transferred to the forensic institution about a year and a half before his scheduled release date. Strangely enough, even before his arrival, his initial freedoms had already been arranged. After just one and a half month, michael P was allowed to go to the village three times a day for an hour without supervision. This swift progress in Michael P's resocialization program highlighted many shortcomings. The legal provision under which Michael P was placed in the forensic psychiatric facility was not intended for re-socialization, but was used with that purpose anyway. An investigation later showed that the granting of freedoms was a routinely performed administrative procedure rather than a well-considered joint decision by the involved agencies. There had been no thorough assessment of whether granting freedoms to Michael P would pose a danger to the community.

Speaker 1: 11:25

Michael P's background and psychological profile revealed a deeply troubled individual, diagnosed with both borderline and antisocial personality disorders. He also exhibited psychopathic traits and his long-term addiction to Ritalin and cocaine definitely did not help his inability to control his emotions and impulses, often leading to rapid and violent aggression. And these factors all came tragically together on the day that he met Anna.

Speaker 1: 14:27

Michael P was brought to trial in 2018. The proceedings were closely followed by the public and the media as the nation sought justice for Anna. The trial revealed horrifying details about the crime and Michael P's background, highlighting the failures in the system that allowed him to be free at the time of the murder. Michael P was sentenced to 28 years in prison, followed by an indefinite psychiatric treatment. The sentence aimed to ensure that he would never pose a threat to society again.

Speaker 1: 15:00

Anne Faber's murder exposed significant flaws in the Dutch forensic psychiatric system. The government launched an inquiry to investigate how Michael P had been granted temporary leave despite his high-risk profile. The inquiry revealed gaps in communication between institutions and a lack of adequate monitoring of offenders on leave. In response to these findings, the Dutch government implemented stricter policies for granting leave to psychiatric patients. These included more rigorous risk assessments, improved interagency communication and increased supervision of offenders granted temporary leave. These reforms aimed to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future and to restore the people's public confidence in the system, which had definitely taken a hit.

Speaker 1: 15:51

Anne's family became vocal advocates for change, using their platform to push for reforms and raise awareness about the issues in the forensic psychiatric system. They established the Anna Faber Foundation to support victims of violent crime and promote safety measures to protect others. Anna Faber's legacy is one of sorrow, but also of significant change. Her case remains a poignant reminder of the need for vigilance in monitoring violent offenders and while no system is perfect or will ever be perfect, the changes implemented in the wake of Anna Faber's murder are a crucial step towards preventing similar tragedies. Ana's family continues to honor her memory through their advocacy and the work of the Ana Faber Foundation, ensuring no one will ever forget her. Thank you all so much for listening. Follow the Lowest Crime on Instagram to find all images related to the case. Also, don't forget to follow this podcast and leave a review so that others that are interested in true crime can find this podcast as well. I look forward to seeing you in the next episode.