On November 18, 2006, Els Van Doren, a 38-year-old Belgian skydiver, plunged to her death in Opglabbeek, Belgium. She was an experienced jumper with over 2,300 successful jumps to her name. When both her main and reserve parachutes failed to open, the initial assumption was a tragic accident. However, a deeper investigation revealed a far darker story, one that would become known as the parachute murder.
Els Van Doren was a married mother of two, living in Antwerp with her husband, jeweler Jan De Wilde, and their children, Vincent and Carol. While she worked at the family jewelry store, her true passion was skydiving. She began the sport with her husband in 1994, but her enthusiasm quickly surpassed his. By 2006, she was a highly skilled jumper, dedicating her weekends and holidays to the sport. She was a member of the Schaffen and later the Zwartberg skydiving club.
It was at the skydiving club that Van Doren formed a close friendship with Els Clottemans, a 26-year-old schoolteacher. To avoid confusion due to their shared first name, Van Doren suggested the nickname "Babs" for her younger friend. The two women also became close with a fellow skydiver named Marcel Somers. The trio became regular partners in their skydiving adventures.
Over time, Van Doren’s friendship with Somers developed into a romantic relationship, despite her being married. Her family’s habit of spending weekends at the skydiving club provided an unintentional cover, keeping her husband unaware. What Van Doren did not know was that she and Babs were not just sharing a first name. They were also sharing the same man. Somers was secretly in a relationship with both women, managing a schedule where Fridays were for Babs and Saturdays were for Van Doren.
This arrangement unraveled on the evening of Friday, November 10, 2006. Babs arrived at Somers’ apartment as usual, but Van Doren had decided to surprise him with an unexpected visit. When Babs and Somers returned from dinner, they found Van Doren waiting outside. The ensuing conversation is unknown, but Babs was relegated to sleeping in a sleeping bag on the living room floor while Van Doren and Somers shared the bedroom. From her spot on the floor, Babs noticed Van Doren’s parachute and equipment nearby. Feeling betrayed and humiliated, she made a decision that would have fatal consequences.
A week later, on November 18, twelve members of the skydiving club, including Van Doren, Babs, and Somers, took a flight over Flanders. The plan was for Van Doren, Babs, Somers, and another jumper named Tom to perform a four-person formation jump from 13,000 feet. They would link hands before breaking away and opening their parachutes. As they prepared to jump, Els, Marcel, and Tom exited the plane as planned. Babs, however, jumped slightly later, perhaps intentionally, and was unable to catch up with the group during freefall.
At 9,000 feet, the formation broke apart to allow for safe parachute deployment. It was then that a critical problem became apparent. Van Doren pulled her main parachute’s cords, but it refused to open. She had experienced a parachute failure before and had successfully deployed her reserve. This time, however, her attempts to deploy the reserve were also met with failure. Somers, flying 800 meters above her, watched in horror as she fell, unable to help.
On the ground in Opglabbeek, a woman hanging laundry in her garden heard a loud impact. She looked up and saw a person descending with a parachute, which was not unusual given the nearby skydiving club. She then noticed a piece of white cloth tangled in her shrubs. When she approached, she found a person lying among the bushes. It was Els Van Doren. She showed no signs of life. Somers landed safely and frantically ran through the streets searching for her. He found the location where she had fallen, but emergency services were unable to revive her.
Somers insisted that Van Doren’s parachute be left untouched, stating that the failure of both parachutes was highly unusual. He called her husband, Jan, with the devastating news. When Jan arrived at the skydiving club to collect her belongings, he met Babs, who volunteered to retrieve them. Jan noticed she seemed almost motionless and had a strange smile on her face. When they reached the changing rooms, Babs abruptly closed the door, taking a long time before emerging with Van Doren’s gear.
The police collected Van Doren’s parachute and helmet, which was equipped with a video camera that had recorded the fatal jump. An autopsy found no traces of alcohol or drugs that could have impaired her abilities. Her death was ruled a homicide or suicide, caused by multiple fractures and internal bleeding from the fall. The family’s suspicions pointed to someone within the skydiving club, someone with expert knowledge of parachutes.
A parachute expert was brought in to examine Van Doren’s equipment. He quickly discovered a critical flaw: the pilot chute, a small auxiliary parachute vital for deploying the main or reserve, was missing. Its deliberate removal was clear evidence of tampering. There were also signs of sabotage, including a cut cord on the pilot chute and a cut suspension line on the emergency parachute. A review of the helmet camera footage showed an unidentified piece of red fabric hanging in front of Van Doren’s face. It was not part of her gear. Police urged residents to search their gardens for the red piece, as it might contain DNA of the saboteur, but it was never found.
The following Monday, a remarkable discovery was made. Babs claimed she had found the missing pilot chute. She said she spotted it hanging from a tree while driving between Opglabbeek and Genk, after taking a different route home. She reported the finding to Marcel, who then contacted the police. The police were suspicious, as the loss of the pilot chute was not public knowledge at that time. Babs attributed her discovery to a coincidence, saying she had been stuck behind a slow tractor and looked up to see the chute, which she interpreted as a sign from Van Doren.
The list of primary suspects included Van Doren’s husband Jan, her lover Marcel Somers, and her friend Els Clottemans. Searches were conducted, but both Jan and Marcel were eventually cleared. The investigation then turned to Clottemans. Police searched her home, seizing her phone, laptop, and diaries. She was brought in for questioning but denied any involvement in sabotaging Van Doren’s parachute. She attempted to shift blame to either Marcel or Jan.
After her initial questioning, Clottemans was released. However, she failed to attend a second interview scheduled for December 20, 2006. It was discovered that she had attempted to take her own life that morning with an overdose of sleeping pills and antidepressants. She was found unconscious by her mother and hospitalized. In letters to loved ones, she expressed difficulty coping with the loss of her close friend and the pressure of being a murder suspect. After recovering, she was admitted to a psychiatric facility for 15 days. Marcel Somers cut ties with her, believing her suicide attempt was a ploy for attention to divert suspicion.
On January 11, 2007, while still receiving psychiatric care, Els Clottemans was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the murder of Els Van Doren. A more detailed examination of the parachute equipment revealed that the cords had been deliberately cut with scissors, likely by a right-handed person. During interrogation, Clottemans admitted to sending an anonymous letter to Van Doren, which her husband had found but dismissed as criticism of her frequent absences. Clottemans also admitted to making anonymous phone calls to Marcel at times when she knew he was with Van Doren.
Investigators also noted that Clottemans had jumped later than the rest of the team and opened her parachute earlier, suggesting she had positioned herself to observe the events from above. This strategic move may have also allowed her to see where Van Doren’s pilot chute landed, enabling her to retrieve it later.
In September 2008, Clottemans was released on bail. Her murder trial began on September 24, 2010. The prosecution argued that jealousy was the motive, stemming from her discovery that her lover was also involved with her close friend. Clottemans had previously admitted to investigators that she knew she was second choice to Van Doren in Somers’ eyes. The defense argued that the case was based solely on circumstantial evidence. During her testimony, Clottemans maintained her innocence and even attempted to blame Van Doren’s daughter, Carol, suggesting she might have sought revenge against her mother for being absent on weekends.
The jury ultimately sided with the prosecution. On October 20, 2010, Els Clottemans was found guilty of killing her friend Els Van Doren and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Her appeal was rejected in May 2011. However, in June 2022, after serving only 12 and a half years, she was granted conditional release and is now a free woman. The case of Els Van Doren remains a tragic story of betrayal, jealousy, and a life cut short.