HUSBAND ACCUSED OF PUSHING INFLUENCER WIFE TO HER DEATH FROM 100-FOOT CLIFF — HE INSISTS SHE FELL

Zoë Snoeks, 33, died after plunging from a rocky outcrop in Belgium in 2021. Her husband says she accidentally fell while taking photographs. Prosecutors now believe she may have been deliberately pushed.

NADRIN, BELGIUM — What was initially treated as a tragic accident has become the center of a murder investigation more than five years after the death of 33-year-old influencer Zoë Snoeks.

Zoë died on November 2, 2021, after falling approximately 100 feet from a rocky outcrop near the Ourthe River in Nadrin, Belgium.

She had been visiting the area with her husband, Joeri Janssen.

At the time, Janssen told investigators that his wife had been taking photographs when she suddenly disappeared from view.

He has consistently maintained that Zoë’s death was an accident.

But prosecutors now believe there may have been something more sinister behind the fatal fall.

HER HUSBAND’S ACCOUNT

Janssen told investigators that he had turned away from Zoë while he was distracted by their dogs.

According to his account, when he turned back, she was gone.

He reportedly said the entire incident happened in only a few seconds.

Janssen also claimed that he did not see or hear Zoë fall.

He said there had been no scream or shout before he noticed dust rising from below.

That account has now come under renewed scrutiny.

A WITNESS REPORTEDLY HEARD A SCREAM

A witness who was walking in the area at the time reportedly told investigators that they heard a woman’s scream.

That testimony directly conflicts with Janssen’s claim that he heard nothing.

Investigators subsequently carried out a sound test which reportedly concluded that a scream from the location where Zoë fell would have been audible.

The finding has become an important part of the prosecution’s case.

However, it remains an allegation and has not established that Janssen caused Zoë’s death.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PHONE

Investigators have also raised questions about what happened to Zoë’s phone after her death.

Prosecutors reportedly allege that Janssen attempted to delete footage from the device and later contacted professionals about recovering it.

A reported lie-detector test also indicated that he was lying when questioned about aspects of the circumstances surrounding Zoë’s death.

However, lie-detector results are not proof of guilt and are not, by themselves, evidence that a person committed a crime.

Janssen continues to deny wrongdoing.

FAMILY BELIEVES SHE WAS KILLED

Zoë’s parents have repeatedly rejected the idea that their daughter simply fell.

Her father, Luc Snoeks, has publicly supported the theory that Zoë was deliberately pushed.

The family has spent years waiting for answers about what happened during what should have been a trip with her husband.

For them, the investigation has transformed the memory of Zoë’s final journey into an enduring search for the truth.

PROSECUTORS SEEK MURDER TRIAL

The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office is seeking to have Janssen sent to an Assize Court, where he could face a murder trial.

The case is due to appear before the Turnhout council chamber on October 27.

That hearing will be an important next step in determining whether the case proceeds to a full criminal trial.

No final decision has yet been made.

Janssen’s lawyer, Jan Swennen, has strongly rejected the prosecution’s interpretation of the evidence.

He reportedly described the case as being based on “one-sided assumptions” that are not supported by the criminal file.

FIVE YEARS OF QUESTIONS

Zoë was 33 when she died.

She and Janssen had reportedly known each other since school and married in 2012.

What was initially reported as a devastating accident has now become a complex criminal investigation involving witness testimony, forensic testing and disputed evidence.

For years, Janssen has maintained the same position: Zoë fell accidentally while taking photographs.

Prosecutors now believe that explanation may not tell the whole story.

The truth, however, will ultimately depend on the evidence presented and the decisions of the Belgian courts.

For Zoë’s family, the hope is that after five years of unanswered questions, the next stage of the investigation will finally bring them closer to understanding what happened to their daughter on that remote Belgian cliff.

Zoë Snoeks was 33.

Her family has spent five years waiting for answers.

Now, the case is heading toward another crucial legal decision.