A 33-year-old man accused of killing his father and cutting his body into 238 pieces is due to appear in court in the Netherlands, nearly two years after the gruesome discovery of human remains in their family home.
Tijmen Visser was arrested in 2024 after police found 19 bin bags containing body parts inside two freezers at the property in Heerhugowaard.
His father, Albert Visser, had been reported missing in 2021. Authorities initially believed he might have taken his own life or left the country.
However, a missing person’s report was only issued in 2023 after one of Albert’s friends raised concerns and alerted the authorities.
The last known sign of life was an entry in Albert’s notebook, which he used to keep track of his expenses.
A major search operation eventually led investigators to the frozen remains, which had allegedly been hidden inside the house for almost four years.
Police initially began digging up the garden, but sniffer dogs later directed officers towards the house, where the body parts were discovered.
According to Visser’s lawyer, Daniel Fontain, his client had acted in self-defence during a confrontation with his father.
Fontain previously told the court that Albert had offered his son a cup of tea, but Visser believed it had been poisoned with rat poison.
“His father offered him a cup of tea and he saw that his father wanted to poison him with rat poison,” the lawyer said, according to Dutch broadcaster NH.
“After he confronted him about it, he attacked his son with a knife.”
During the alleged struggle, Visser kicked and punched his father several times before realising that he was no longer breathing.
His lawyer claimed that Visser panicked, sawed the body into pieces and placed the remains in freezers. Fontain also said his client had psychologically repressed the incident for years.
The lawyer described the father-and-son relationship as troubled, alleging that it was marked by frequent violence.
“My client experienced a difficult childhood with a lot of violence,” Fontain said.
He also claimed that Albert had sex, alcohol and gambling addictions and was disliked by people in the neighbourhood.
Neighbours told investigators that arguments were frequently heard coming from the property.
“Albert was known to have loud arguments with his son,” one neighbour said. “But no one thought it would end like this.”
Visser’s 31-year-old former girlfriend has also been named as a co-suspect in the case, although proceedings against her will take place at a later date.
The case continues.
