A 14-year-old boy who disappeared almost two weeks ago appears to have left of his own free will and may be heading for Poland or further east, Dutch police said on Friday.
An international hunt has now been launched for Maxim, from Apeldoorn, who set off on his bike for the east of the country. There are no indications that he is the victim of a crime, police said.
A spokesman for his family said they are in shock about Maxim’s disappearance and possible trip to Russia. There were no issues at home and nothing serious that would prompt his departure, the spokesman said. He declined to go into further details about why Russia may be the youngster’s destination.
The police initially circulated a photo of the youngster with curly hair but there are now “indications” he has shaved it off, prompting Dutch, Polish and German police to issue a manipulated photo showing him with a buzz cut.
The teenager left the family home on the afternoon of Saturday April 18 and police suspect he crossed the border into Germany via Twente. He did not take many possessions but police say they have every reason to think he was well prepared for the trip.
He was cycling, wearing a red rucksack, on a grey Stella ladies bicycle but police say he may now have switched to another mode of transport. “He could cycle, hitch-hike, take a train… we don’t know and there is no sign of him,” a spokesman told broadcaster NOS.
Poland has boundaries with Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Some Dutch media have suggested Russia is his final destination.
