Dr. Jacques H. Smits, the specialist Criminologist and `child tracker' is in Guyana with the mother of the two abducted children, Ms. Aneta Joanna Szadkowska, 30, as they travel from country to country searching for the two, aged three and four.

Herman Roelf Ploeger, 34, a Dutch national, allegedly fled the Netherlands a year ago with his two children even though he lost parental custody on four separate occasions during a bitter divorce in his country's court system, Smits told the Chronicle yesterday.

The abduction case has attracted the attention of the mainstream media in the Netherlands and law enforcement agencies in several countries, he said.

Smits, who has been on the case for some nine months now, said he has conducted investigations and searches in countries such as Spain, Belgium, Germany and Italy for Ploeger who is wanted by the Dutch Police, by the Venezuelan law enforcement agency and by Interpol (the international Police organisation) worldwide for "international child abduction".

The kidnapped children are Timotheus Witold Ploeger who was born at Enschende, Netherlands on December 27, 1997 and Pascal Roelf Ploeger, born at Assen, Netherlands on June 16, 1999.

Their parents, Szadkowska (a Polish national) and Ploeger were married on October 3, 1997 in the Netherlands where they settled and lived together for about three years, Smits said.

They officially divorced on September 12, 2000 with the court awarding Szadkowska custody of the two children on four separate occasions, the last time by the Supreme Court in Holland, he said.

Szadkowska told the Chronicle yesterday that her ex-husband lost custody of the kids all four times.

Smits, who was with her yesterday, showed this newspaper copies of the court documents confirming this.

The last time Szadkowska saw her two children was on June 24, 2001 when Ploeger kidnapped and disappeared with the kids.

Smits said he eventually tracked the wanted man to Margarita, a tourist island off the Venezuela coast in September last year.

Ploeger, however, managed to escape with the kids after he allegedly "paid off" some people there.

Stolen Vehicle In Venezuela
Smits said that while in Margarita Island, Ploeger reportedly told the children - and others he met on the island - that their mother (Szadkowska) died of cancer last year.

"This is not true. The mother is in perfect health and wants her children back more than anything," Smits told the Chronicle in the presence of Szadkowska, who is not as fluent in English as she is in Dutch and Polish.

Ploeger was born in Winschoten, Netherlands on August 6, 1968. His passport number is N88022744 and his Social Security Number is 110933084, Smits said.

He, however, noted that Ploeger may be using "forged and falsified documents" for travelling.
According to Smits, intelligence reports gathered so far indicate that Ploeger fled Margarita Island and went to Caracas, Venezuela where he stayed a while. He subsequently took a flight from Caracas and arrived in Guyana on November 28 last year with the two children.

Further intelligence revealed that Poleger and the kids stayed at the Woodbine Hotel in Georgetown for six nights.

He was also said to be in New Amsterdam during December last year where he stayed for seven nights at the Parkway Hotel (from December 3 to 10).

Investigators on his trail have been unable to track a hotel here where Ploeger and the children might have stayed since then.

Smits said Ploeger was spotted in Guyana last Wednesday. "We don't know the exact house but we know the area," he told the Chronicle.

"Everybody can run from me but not hide," the Criminologist asserted with some degree of confidence.

"He's a sick, depressive maniac and he's armed and dangerous," Smits said, adding that the father had abducted the children on two previous occasions for short periods.

Smits said that since his arrival here Tuesday, he has been getting full cooperation and assistance from Police Commissioner, Mr. Floyd McDonald and two detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force.

It is understood that the Government of Holland wrote the Guyana Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seeking assistance in tracking down Ploeger and rescuing the kids.

It is further understood that the Government has agreed to help and the Foreign Ministry and the Home Affairs Ministry here have been linking with the Police Force on the matter.

An official report by Szadkowska to the Netherlands Police after one of several fights with her husband (a copy of which was in Smit's large file) stated, "I report a death threat, abuse and taking away the children".

She said that during her marriage with Ploeger, "he used to get so aggressive during arguments that he started throwing things around and he once struck his own hand against the wall. We then had to go to hospital."

"He also threatened my parents in Poland once and wanted to hit them. He already said to me once: `You will get the children over my dead body.' That is why I am so scared now that he will do something."

Smits noted that Ploeger had visiting rights to the children every other weekend and it was during a weekend that he disappeared with them.

Ploeger is also said to be wanted by the law enforcement authorities in Venezuela for stealing a lap top computer and a 4 x 4 jeep. This was during his stay there before arriving in Guyana, Smits said.

Smits said this child abduction case is big news in Holland and has attracted the attention of the mainstream media. He showed the Chronicle newspaper clippings in Dutch of the media attention drawn to this particular case.

Szadkowska said she has organised searches including through the `Trace Team' of the International Red Cross as efforts continue to locate the kids.

It is understood that Aneta, who is educated in Banking and Finance, currently receives monetary assistance and support from the Government of Holland since she is not working due to the fact that she is searching for her children.

Szadkowska was born in Lublin, Poland. It is understood that Ploeger met Szadkowska when he went to Poland to work.

They got married shortly after and returned to Holland to settle down but according to Smits, "that was when the shit started" referring to the reported abuses and death threats to Szadkowska.

"I don't hate him. I don't love him anymore. I just want my kids back," a visibly distraught Szadkowska told the Chronicle yesterday.

According to her, Ploeger, a Computer Engineer, had started two computer companies in Holland but both ventures went bankrupt.