Two Women Die in Anderlecht Stabbing; Officers Found One Severely Injured Woman and One Armed Person

Two women died in an incident in the Anderlecht municipality of Brussels on Sunday afternoon after one was found severely injured inside a home and another, armed with a knife, jumped from a window before police could disarm her. The Brussels prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the deaths and appointed an investigating judge, VRT NWS reported.

What Happened

According to the Brussels prosecutor’s office, the Brussels-South police zone was called at 17:04 to an incident on the Dichtkunstlaan (French: avenue de la Poesie), a quiet residential street. “On site, police found one severely injured woman in a home and one woman armed with a knife,” said Veerle Byloos, spokesperson for the Brussels prosecutor’s office, as BRUZZ reported. “Before police could disarm the armed woman, she jumped out of a window. Both women were resuscitated by emergency services but have died.”

The prosecutor’s office ordered the first investigative acts, including the deployment of the federal police laboratory and a forensic doctor, and requested an investigating judge. The appointments signal a formal judicial inquiry into the precise circumstances of both deaths.

The Reconstruction

Belgian media subsequently identified the two women and reconstructed the sequence of events. The Dutch-language newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws reported that Nancy E.D., a mother of two and an employee of the European Commission, had been exhibiting acute psychiatric distress in the days before the incident. A housemate, Angele (35), told the paper that Nancy believed someone wanted to kill her and had barricaded herself in her room.

On Sunday around 14:00, Angele said, Nancy left the house with a suitcase, saying she was “in danger.” She returned about an hour later, brought back by a friend. Later that afternoon, Angele saw Nancy spinning a large kitchen knife at the table. When she went upstairs, the kitchen knives were gone. Angele called the police and then reached out to people who knew Nancy better, hoping someone could calm her down.

That is how Brigitta U., a friend who lived one street away in the Van Souststraat, came to the house. Angele warned her that Nancy had a knife. “But Brigitta said she knew her,” Angele told HLN, adding that she had gone upstairs anyway. Shortly afterward, Angele heard shouting and called the police a second time, urging a rapid response. By the time officers entered, Brigitta was severely injured and Nancy was armed. After police asked her to drop the knife, which she refused to do, Nancy jumped from the window.

Mental-Health Context

The Brussels prosecutor’s office confirmed that the armed woman had mental problems. According to the media reconstruction, Nancy had told others that someone wanted to kill her and had stopped taking her medication, though that detail has not been officially confirmed.

Per RTL Info, the sequence is being described in French-language media as one in which a woman reportedly stabbed a friend before throwing herself from the window while police were at the door. BruxellesToday framed the case as a homicide followed by suicide, in which the woman, gripped by a delusional episode, was convinced someone was trying to kill her.

The prosecutor’s office has not officially classified the case, stressing that the precise circumstances in which the first victim was fatally injured remain under investigation.

Who the Women Were

Nancy E.D. worked for the European Commission, one of Brussels’ largest employers, and rented out rooms in the large house where the drama unfolded. According to Angele, several rooms were rented out, some for months and others short-term through Airbnb. Two new Airbnb guests arrived about ten minutes before the incident and were inside but saw nothing, Angele told HLN.

Brigitta U. lived in the nearby Van Souststraat. A neighbour described her as someone who always wanted to help. “We had a very, very good bond with her,” the neighbour told HLN. “Brigitta was a very friendly woman. She had a heart for everyone and always wanted to help people.”

Belgian media, reflecting the suicide dimension of the case, appended references to the suicide prevention line (Zelfmoordlijn 1813).

What to Watch

The investigation now hinges on reconstructing the moments inside the upstairs room where Brigitta was fatally wounded, and on establishing the mental-health circumstances surrounding Nancy. Because the suspected perpetrator is among the deceased, there is no living suspect in custody: the case centres on establishing what happened rather than on prosecution.

The incident has also drawn attention in officially bilingual Brussels, where Dutch- and French-language outlets covered the story across the city’s dual-language media landscape.

Those struggling with suicidal thoughts can reach the Zelfmoordlijn on the free number 1813 or via www.zelfmoord1813.be.