At least 60 golden hearts were stolen from a path memorial in Wilhelminapark in Utrecht that commemorates 150 children rescued during the Second World War by resistance worker Truus van Lier and Jet Berdenis van Berlekom. Each heart represents a child who survived the war after Jewish children were hidden in Van Lier’s Utrecht crèche and then taken to other safe houses.

The path was installed in 2024, and 22 hearts were stolen shortly afterwards. Initiator Michèle van Lier, a second cousin of Truus van Lier, has six replacement hearts left and is discussing a possible response with the municipality. It remains uncertain whether the missing hearts will be replaced. A historian said two of the stolen hearts were the only ones linked to specific children: the Amsterdam twins Deetje and Joeki, who remained in the crèche for almost the entire war.