The body of a 64-year-old woman who has been missing since Thursday was found Friday morning in Kortenberg (Flemish Brabant, on the periphery of Brussels), the Leuven Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed on Friday.
Denise Cludts had left her home for a walk in the snow on Thursday morning and had not been seen since then. Her disappearance was considered worrying. Search operations (with sniffer dogs and a helicopter) were carried out on Thursday, but no trace was found.
The search resumed on Friday and at around 10:30 a hiker reported that he had thought he had discovered the woman's body in a pond in the Rotte Gaten nature reserve in the area. Firefighters and police quickly arrived on the scene and confirmed that it was indeed the missing 64-year-old.
"It is not yet clear how exactly she died, the lab and the medical examiner are now on site," said a spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor's Office. It is possible her death was an accident.
