Winchester Mourns Mieke Oort, College Student Stabbed To Death In Netherlands

WINCHESTER (CBS) -- A community wrapped around a family one week after their daughter was fatally stabbed while attending school overseas. Classmates, friends, and family gathered at Winchester High School Sunday night to remember Mieke Oort.

The 21-year-old was attending college in the Netherlands when police said she was stabbed on the morning of March 6. Within a few hours, police had tracked down and arrested the man they said is responsible. Friends of Oort told WBZ-TV the man arrested had been stalking Oort and he wouldn't leave her alone.

"She loved to work with people, and she always was very inclusive," said her father Michael Oort.

At Sunday's vigil, dozens gathered to share memories and moments that captured the kind of person Oort was.

Michael Oort spoke at length about his daughter, calling her their family's light who had a heart of gold.

He also took the moment to speak to the crowd of roughly a hundred on the importance of speaking up, without going into specifics on the circumstances of his daughter's death.

"When we send our kids to college, we think they are mature adults. The reality is that they don't necessarily make rational decisions and they can't really see what true danger is. You have to get the students to see danger signs and have the ability to reach out to a professional to analyze the situation to see if it is truly dangerous or not. I think that if that were in place than this tragedy may have been avoidable," said Michael Oort.

Oort's sister, Danquie spoke at the vigil and said, "She was truly, truly, starting to come into herself as a person."

Mieke's family held a memorial service for her in the Netherlands and plans to hold one in Winchester as well.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death is still ongoing.