A man was found with his throat cut in a private room of a Salvation Army homeless shelter in Brussels. What exatcly happened is yet to be determined.
The homeless shelter, Foyer Georges Motte, is located on Boulevard d'Ypres in Brussels. On Monday morning, Jens, 33, a Dutch-speaking resident described by the shelter as a quiet and discreet man and a 'homebody', was found in his bed with his throat cut open and a knife, believed to have been used, still lying close to his body.
According to Sudinfo, no one noticed anything unusual the previous evening. The shelter closes its door at 23:00; a staff member checks the rooms to make sure everyone has returned. Jens was in his room when the staff member checked on Sunday evening, but he reportedly could not tell whether Jens was still alive.
Willy Kitoko, who runs the shelter, told The Brussels Times that police handled the case and that he could not provide more information because an investigation was opened. Speaking earlier to Sudinfo, he said the staff member's role, when they go to check on residents, is "not to shake the person to check on them, but to make sure the person is in their room".
"After knocking, we sometimes open the door very gently to see whether the person is there, but it doesn't go any further than that. We don't wake people up," Kitoko said.
On Monday morning, when Jens did not show up, a staff member reportedly went to his room, noticed something was wrong, and discovered the gruesome scene.
Emergency services were called at around 8:35. Only then could Jens's death be confirmed. Local police immediately established a secure perimeter around the scene.
The Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office ordered the federal police forensic laboratory and a forensic doctor to attend. An investigating judge also went to the scene, while the Brussels Federal Judicial Police (PJF) took over the investigation.
The body was reportedly not removed until late on Monday. Two police officers even spent the night at the Foyer Georges Motte, where Jens' private room remained under police guard on Tuesday.
Detectives also seized the recorder from the centre's CCTV system to examine the footage.
According to Kitoko, Jens was a reserved man and had no conflict with anyone. No suicide note was found either. Elements of how police and PJF handled the case prioritise the possibility of a criminal act.
In a statement, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office, stated that they established a security perimeter and informed the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office. "The prosecutor's office confirmed the investigative measures already underway and ordered the federal judicial police laboratory and a forensic doctor to attend the scene."
The laboratory, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office, accompanied by an investigating judge, and the federal judicial police attended the scene to carry out the necessary examinations and investigative measures.
"At this stage, no further information will be provided in order to safeguard the proper conduct of the investigation."
