{"id":365,"date":"2026-10-31T18:49:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T18:49:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/?page_id=365"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:49:50","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T18:49:50","slug":"case-study-a-body-in-a-canal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/nl\/case-study-a-body-in-a-canal\/","title":{"rendered":"Case study: A Body in a Canal"},"content":{"rendered":"<!-- WTWN \/ Case Study 02 \u2014 A Body in a Canal \u00b7 v7 \u00b7 31 October 2026.\nTwo top-level rows: hero + one editorial row, followed by an in-row follow-up panel.\nThe header illustration is FICTIONAL artwork, NOT a source photograph and not a depiction of a proven historical scene.\nThe image was composed from a generated illustrative scene, with all invented newspaper text cropped out.\nUpload punt-1944-canal-investigation-illustration.webp to WordPress Media (verify exact path).\nExisting De Waarheid newspaper clipping image also needs to be present in 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.wtwn-punt-case-page>.wtwn-punt-hero:before{background:linear-gradient(90deg,rgba(3,24,51,.96),rgba(3,24,51,.76) 57%,rgba(3,24,51,.40))!important}\n .wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-story-grid{grid-template-columns:1fr!important;gap:32px!important}\n .wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-clipping{max-width:330px!important;margin:0 auto!important;justify-self:center!important}\n .wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-clipping{padding-top:0!important}\n}\n@media(max-width:600px){\n .wtwn-punt-case-page>.wtwn-punt-hero{min-height:400px!important;padding-top:77px!important;padding-bottom:48px!important}\n .wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-hero-art img{object-position:68% center!important}\n .wtwn-punt-case-page>.wtwn-punt-hero:before{background:linear-gradient(90deg,rgba(3,24,51,.98) 0%,rgba(3,24,51,.88) 56%,rgba(3,24,51,.44))!important}\n .wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-hero h1{font-size:clamp(37px,9.3vw,47px)!important;line-height:1.11!important}\n .wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-hero-lead{font-size:16px!important}\n}\n\/* === END V2 === *\/\n\/* V5: historical quotation in the author's opening text. *\/\n.wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-story-copy .wtwn-punt-pressquote{border-left:3px solid #B99C75!important;padding:3px 0 3px 20px!important;margin:5px 0 26px!important;background:transparent!important;quotes:none!important}\n.wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-story-copy .wtwn-punt-pressquote:before,.wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-story-copy .wtwn-punt-pressquote:after{display:none!important;content:none!important}\n.wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-story-copy .wtwn-punt-pressquote p{margin:0 0 13px!important}\n.wtwn-punt-case-page .wtwn-punt-story-copy .wtwn-punt-pressquote p:last-child{margin-bottom:0!important}\n\n<\/style>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull wtwn-punt-row wtwn-punt-hero is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full wtwn-punt-hero-art\"><img src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/punt-1944-canal-investigation-illustration.webp\" alt=\"Illustrated, imagined 1940s canal-side investigation: uniformed men examining a waterway in a Dutch polder landscape; not a historical photograph\" loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wtwn-punt-inner is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"wtwn-punt-eyebrow wp-block-paragraph\">HISTORICAL RESEARCH \/ CASE STUDY 02 \u00b7 OPEN INVESTIGATION<\/p>\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Body in a Canal<\/h1>\n\n\n<p class=\"wtwn-punt-hero-lead wp-block-paragraph\">A brief report in the underground press. A man who disappeared. And a death whose circumstances remain unresolved.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull wtwn-punt-row wtwn-punt-story is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wtwn-punt-inner is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wtwn-punt-story-grid is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wtwn-punt-story-copy is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"wtwn-punt-eyebrow wp-block-paragraph\">FIRST CLUE \u00b7 25 APRIL 1944<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A few lines in an illegal newspaper<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On April 25 1944 a peculiar notice appeared in an illegal paper, \u201cDe Waarheid\u201d (The truth).<\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote wtwn-punt-pressquote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Alkmaar<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>A large pike was retrieved from the canal. On closer inspection it turned out to be the remains of the provocateur Punt, who had disappeared without a trace eight weeks before.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A quick search through the archives in Alkmaar did not result in anything, apart from this notice I found no clue as to who this Punt was, what happened and why this was reported in this paper.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I had stumbled upon an intriguing mystery but didn\u2019t know it yet. I will share here how I came across this notice, and where the research led me. So far.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wtwn-punt-clipping is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wtwn-punt-paperframe is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full wtwn-punt-image\"><a href=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/de-waarheid-krantenknipsel-alkmaar-1944.webp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/de-waarheid-krantenknipsel-alkmaar-1944.webp\" alt=\"Photographed 1944 underground newspaper clipping with a paragraph under Alkmaar identifying a body recovered from a canal as Punt\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wtwn-punt-caption wp-block-paragraph\">A surviving newspaper clipping, dated 25 April 1944. Click the image to examine it.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wtwn-punt-follow is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"wtwn-punt-eyebrow wp-block-paragraph\">THE STORY CONTINUES<\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Follow the investigation<\/h3>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I will share new findings here, one piece of evidence at a time, and in short updates on social media. Have a name, a document or a family memory that may help?<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons wtwn-punt-follow-action is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/nl\/contact\/\">Share information \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HISTORICAL RESEARCH \/ CASE STUDY 02 \u00b7 OPEN INVESTIGATION A Body in a Canal A brief report in the underground press. A man who disappeared. And a death whose circumstances remain unresolved. FIRST CLUE \u00b7 25 APRIL 1944 A few lines in an illegal newspaper On April 25 1944 a peculiar notice appeared in an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-365","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":441,"href":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/365\/revisions\/441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whenthenwasnow.com\/nl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}