WINCHESTER, MASS. (WHDH) - A Winchester family is looking for answers after their loved one was killed while studying thousands of miles away.
Michael Oort’s 21-year-old daughter, Mieke, was studying leisure management at a school in the Netherlands. Oort said she was just coming into her own.
“She loved to work with people. She always was very inclusive. So this was a career choice where she could actually go and design activities for people’s leisure and entertainment,” he said.
The Oort family attorney confirmed to 7NEWS that Mieke’s dreams were cut short. The young woman was found dead in a home about 90 minutes north of Amsterdam on Sunday, March 6.
Police responded to that home for a small fire and found her dead inside — the victim of a reported stabbing.
Her family, back home in Winchester, is at a loss for words.
“It was a huge shock, obviously. When we found out, we flew out there immediately,” said Oort.
A candlelight vigil was held on the grounds of Mieke’s alma mater, Winchester High School on Sunday.
“Mieke was fully, clearly, very very much loved. Thank you for being there for her,” her older sister, Danique Oort told those assembled.
The man accused of killing Mieke was found in Germany shortly after the attack. Her father now hopes that colleges can educate their students on how to care for one another in order to prevent future tragedies like this one.
“You have to educate the students to see danger signs and have the ability to reach out to professionals to see if the situation is truly dangerous or not,” he said. “If this was in place, I think this tragedy may have been avoidable.”
It is unclear how Mieke and her alleged killer knew each other.
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