Thailand mystery deepens as Dutch TV personality Emile Ratelband, 77, is traced to Laos. His Brazilian companion took a separate flight to the Middle East. An empty villa, strange WhatsApp messages and two missing young children fuel family fears.
Dutch television celebrity Emile Ratelband, 77, has been traced fleeing Thailand for Laos as his family desperately searches for him and his two youngest children. Thai immigration police revealed on Saturday that his Brazilian companion, Natalia da Silva, 41, flew to the Middle East on the same day in late 2025. Neither has returned to Thailand. Meanwhile, relatives found his former villa deserted and received suspicious WhatsApp messages claiming illness and requesting money. His children, aged four and six, also remain unaccounted for. A €2,500 reward has been offered as Thai investigators pursue fresh leads. However, in a dramatic twist, Ratelband’s former lawyer claims he recently spoke to the missing celebrity, who reportedly insists he is well and wants to be left alone.
Dutch television personality Emile Ratelband, 77, vanished from family contact in Thailand before secretly leaving for Laos in late 2025. Thai immigration police have now uncovered his departure, but his current whereabouts remain unknown.
In a startling development, his Brazilian companion, Natalia da Silva, 41, left Thailand on exactly the same day. However, she flew from Bangkok to an unidentified Middle Eastern country.
Neither has been recorded returning to Thailand. Meanwhile, Ratelband’s children are searching for their father and his two youngest children. They have offered a €2,500 reward for information.
Empty Thai villa, disputed WhatsApp messages and police records deepen the Dutch celebrity mystery
The mystery deepened after relatives travelled to Thailand and discovered Ratelband’s former villa empty. They also received unusual WhatsApp messages, including claims that he was ill and requests for money.
However, his children questioned whether their father had written them. Their search has produced no confirmed location for Ratelband or his youngest children, aged six and four. At the same time, Dutch reports indicate that Ratelband has communicated with other people. His former lawyer says he spoke to him only days before the latest police announcement.
Thai immigration officers disclosed the international travel records on Saturday, 24 October. Police Major General Choengron Rimpadee, deputy commissioner and Immigration Bureau spokesman, announced the findings.
Immigration Bureau commissioner Police Lieutenant General Nopasin Poolsawat had ordered the investigation following publicity surrounding the family’s appeal. Officers examined records covering Ratelband’s entry, immigration status and eventual departure. Their findings established that the Dutch celebrity left Thailand months before his children launched their latest public search.
Immigration records reveal Ratelband and Natalia left Thailand on the same day by separate routes
According to Choengron, Ratelband and Natalia entered Thailand together through Suvarnabhumi Airport in December 2021. Both held valid immigration permission and registered accommodation in a lower central Thai province.
Subsequently, Ratelband established a life in Thailand, pursuing business interests and raising his two youngest children. Dutch reports describe property investments and a sustainable cricket-farming venture. Yet the couple’s recorded movements changed dramatically in late 2025, when they departed Thailand separately.
Ratelband crossed into Laos through a Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge. Natalia departed on the same day, boarding an international flight from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Her destination was a country in the Middle East.
Notably, immigration officers found no subsequent Thai entry records for either individual. Police have not disclosed the precise departure date, the Friendship Bridge used or Natalia’s destination country. Furthermore, no official account has established their movements after leaving Thailand.
Thai police pursue new leads as Ratelband’s children search for answers after months of family silence
The Immigration Bureau has assigned its Investigation Division to pursue additional information. Officers have also been instructed to assist agencies responsible for foreign visitors’ safety.
However, the investigation has not established where Ratelband or Natalia currently live. Nor have police confirmed whether the pair reunited after leaving Thailand. The records establish two departures on the same day, involving different international routes. They do not establish the reasons behind those journeys.
Choengron also outlined the bureau’s wider responsibility for screening foreign nationals. This includes identifying visitors vulnerable to scams and individuals presenting security concerns. Nevertheless, police have announced no evidence linking Ratelband to a criminal operation.
No criminal accusations have been announced against Natalia. The bureau’s findings concern immigration movements, rather than any confirmed offence involving the pair.
For Ratelband’s family, the disclosure marks a major development after months of unsuccessful inquiries. The older children had concentrated their search on Thailand, where their father had lived for several years.
His daughter Minou reportedly travelled to the country twice. His son Rolls also made inquiries concerning his father’s whereabouts and former residence. Their efforts included visiting a villa previously occupied by Ratelband, Natalia and the younger children.
Family finds deserted villa as son’s account identifies the last meeting with his father in January
However, the property was empty when relatives arrived. There was no sign of its former occupants. The family approached neighbours, police and diplomatic representatives, seeking information about where Ratelband had gone.
Despite these efforts, nobody provided a confirmed location. The available reports also failed to establish when the villa was vacated. Consequently, relatives remained unable to reconstruct his movements before the immigration records placed him leaving for Laos.
Rolls described the unsuccessful search to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. “His villa was abandoned and there was no sign of life. All leads have gone cold. He seems to have vanished from the face of the earth.”
The remarks were reported in English translation from Dutch media coverage. His account captured the family’s frustration after repeated attempts to find their father. Yet the empty property provided no confirmed evidence of wrongdoing or explanation for the family’s loss of contact.
The family’s last confirmed personal meeting with Ratelband took place on 3 January 2025. His 17-year-old son Emilio supplied that date during an interview with Dutch broadcaster NH Nieuws on 19 October. Ratelband had arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport following a family holiday. Emilio and another sibling accompanied him. Afterwards, the television personality spent a short period in the Netherlands before returning to Thailand.
Strange WhatsApp messages claiming illness and seeking money raise questions over who wrote them
According to Emilio, the holiday had gone well, and family relations appeared normal. He recalled no immediate reason to expect the subsequent breakdown in communication. However, contact deteriorated after his father returned to Thailand.
The children eventually became concerned about their inability to speak with him directly. Their worries intensified when occasional WhatsApp messages continued arriving from an account associated with Ratelband.
Some messages reportedly claimed the Dutch celebrity was ill. Others contained requests for money. Nevertheless, his children questioned whether their father had actually written them. Rolls said Ratelband had distinctive habits involving capital letters and punctuation.
The newer communications reportedly differed from his familiar writing style. This raised concerns about who was operating the account and whether the messages genuinely represented his wishes.
Emilio raised further questions during his NH Radio interview. He said the messages contained poor Dutch and suspected Natalia might have written them. However, he acknowledged that he could not establish who had sent the communications.
Nor could he prove somebody else controlled his father’s telephone. No publicly confirmed evidence establishes that Natalia impersonated Ratelband or accessed his telephone without permission.
Family offers €2,500 reward as search widens to Ratelband’s two youngest children born in Thailand
Likewise, reports have not established whether any requested money was transferred. The intended recipients of the payments have not been publicly identified. The messages therefore remain disputed communications rather than evidence of a confirmed financial offence.
Even so, they became an important part of the family’s search. Relatives could not establish whether they were communicating with their father or another person using his account.
On 17 October, the children launched a public appeal offering €2,500 for information establishing Ratelband’s whereabouts. The reward was worth approximately ฿94,000. Subsequently, the appeal attracted extensive attention in the Netherlands. Thai immigration officers also began examining records following the publicity. Their investigation produced the confirmation that Ratelband had departed for Laos in late 2025.
However, the search extends beyond the whereabouts of the Dutch television personality. His family is also seeking information about his two youngest children. Both were born in Thailand through surrogacy arrangements. Ratelband has nine children from several relationships, including six-year-old Betheke and four-year-old Maximus Aurelius Frans Rudolph Willibrord.
Betheke was born in Thailand in 2020 through a surrogacy arrangement involving Natalia da Silva. Meanwhile, Maximus was born on 27 August 2022 through a different surrogate mother. The two children were part of Ratelband’s family life in Thailand. However, their older siblings have been unable to establish direct contact with them during the search.
Immigration findings leave two young children’s whereabouts unknown as Dutch reports reveal contact
Emilio told NH Nieuws that he was particularly worried about the younger children. Their ages make independent communication with relatives abroad difficult. Furthermore, the family’s inquiries have not established where either child is living. No publicly reported official statement has confirmed their current residence or circumstances.
Significantly, the Immigration Bureau’s announcement on Saturday provided no information about the children’s movements. Officers did not disclose whether Betheke or Maximus had departed Thailand.
Nor did they establish whether either accompanied Ratelband into Laos or Natalia to the Middle East. The separate departures of the adults have therefore been documented without any corresponding public account of the children.
On another front, developments in the Netherlands have complicated the family’s description of Ratelband as missing. Several reports indicate that he has communicated with people outside his immediate family. These contacts emerged before Thai police disclosed his departure for Laos. They also suggest that Ratelband has expressed a wish to remain apart from his relatives.
One important development occurred in May 2026. Dutch entertainment programme Shownieuws sought an audio statement from Ratelband amid questions about his whereabouts. The programme reportedly received a voice message attributed to him. In that communication, he said he was well and living abroad. However, he declined to identify his location or the people accompanying him.
Ratelband reportedly seeks privacy while Thai welfare-check video and lawyer’s call raise questions
Ratelband also indicated that he wanted to live independently. Furthermore, he said he did not want telephone calls or personal visits. The message appeared to provide contact with him after his departure from Thailand. Nevertheless, his children remained concerned about his circumstances. The communication contained no publicly confirmed address and provided no information about his two youngest children.
Separately, Dutch media reported an earlier welfare check involving Thai officials. The encounter reportedly occurred approximately six months before October 2026. During the check, Ratelband apparently appeared in a video stating that nothing was wrong. However, his family said it had never been shown the recording. The officials involved were not publicly identified, and the precise date remained unclear.
Additionally, no detailed public account established where the video was recorded. The circumstances surrounding the reported welfare check were also undisclosed. The family therefore remained unable to examine the recording independently. Its existence was reported in Dutch media, but the contents were not publicly documented in detail.
A further development emerged on Wednesday, 21 October. Dutch media reported that Carlo Liefting, a lawyer who previously represented Ratelband, had spoken directly with him. Liefting subsequently issued a statement confirming the contact. According to Shownieuws, he described their conversation as normal and said Ratelband was doing well. He also communicated the television personality’s reported wish to be left alone.
Former lawyer’s reported conversation and Dutch ministry contact deepen dispute over missing father
The statement received additional coverage from Dutch publication LINDA on 22 October. Meanwhile, television programme RTL Boulevard reportedly informed family members about the conversation. However, Ratelband’s children continued expressing concern. Liefting did not disclose where his former client was living. Nor did he provide independent evidence establishing Ratelband’s present circumstances.
The timing was particularly significant. Liefting’s reported contact emerged only three days before Thai immigration police announced the Laos departure. It indicated that Ratelband had communicated with a former legal adviser despite remaining inaccessible to his children. However, the conversation did not establish whether he was in Laos, the Middle East or another country.
Further information emerged through the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to Dutch reports, Ratelband’s daughter Minou was informed that ministry officials had contacted her father. The reported communication indicated that he wanted distance from his relatives. Nevertheless, officials did not publicly disclose his location or explain the circumstances of their contact.
The date of the ministry’s reported communication was also unclear. Furthermore, no detailed public account explained how officials verified Ratelband’s circumstances. The reported contact provided another indication that he wished to avoid family communication. However, it did not establish where he was living or account for the younger children.
Ex wife challenges claims Ratelband wants distance as his extraordinary Dutch career comes into focus
Ratelband’s former wife, Moon van Buuren, has challenged suggestions that he would voluntarily sever contact with his children. She previously reported him missing on behalf of family members. According to her account, such prolonged silence was inconsistent with his relationship with them. She questioned why he would withdraw without speaking to his children personally.
By contrast, the former lawyer’s statement and reported Foreign Ministry communication indicate that Ratelband wants privacy. The family’s concerns therefore remain unresolved despite reports of contact through other channels. His children continue seeking direct confirmation of his whereabouts. They also remain unable to establish where Betheke and Maximus are living.
Ratelband is a familiar figure in the Netherlands, where he built a career as a motivational speaker and television personality. His public work included positive-thinking campaigns, business ventures and political activities. Over several decades, his outspoken personality attracted considerable media attention. He also became internationally known for an unusual legal challenge concerning his registered age.
In 2018, Ratelband sought permission to reduce his official age by 20 years. He was then 69 and argued that his registered age should reflect how young he felt. However, a Dutch court rejected the application. The case attracted widespread international coverage and added to his public profile.
Ratelband’s Thai business interests and family ties precede two separate international departures
Subsequently, Ratelband established a life in Thailand. Dutch reports described his involvement in property investment and a sustainable cricket-farming business. His two youngest children were also born in Thailand during this period.
Meanwhile, he continued maintaining connections with relatives in the Netherlands. Emilio’s account of their January 2025 holiday confirms that personal contact continued after his relocation.
That contact subsequently deteriorated, prompting repeated family inquiries. Minou travelled to Thailand twice, while Rolls investigated his father’s former residence. The family also approached neighbours, police and diplomatic representatives. However, none of those inquiries established where Ratelband was living. Eventually, relatives launched the public reward appeal that attracted renewed international attention.
The Thai immigration findings have now established an important sequence. Ratelband and Natalia entered Thailand together in December 2021. Both held valid immigration permission and registered accommodation. Yet they departed separately in late 2025, travelling through different border points on the same day. Ratelband crossed into Laos, while Natalia flew to the Middle East.
Police cannot explain the journeys as disputed messages and reported welfare checks remain mysteries
Crucially, the Immigration Bureau has not established why they travelled separately. Police have also not disclosed whether they reunited after leaving Thailand. Their subsequent movements remain publicly unconfirmed.
No Thai re-entry records have been identified for either individual. The investigation therefore places both outside Thailand without establishing their current countries of residence.
The unresolved communications remain another important part of the family’s account. The WhatsApp messages reportedly contained claims of illness and requests for money. However, their authorship has not been independently established.
Likewise, no publicly confirmed financial transaction has been connected to those requests. The family’s concerns remain based on communications it considers inconsistent with Ratelband’s normal writing habits.
The earlier welfare-check video has also not been made available to relatives. Dutch reports describe its existence, but provide limited information about its circumstances. Similarly, the reported May audio message did not disclose Ratelband’s location. Both communications indicated that he was well, according to the accounts published in the Netherlands.
More recently, Carlo Liefting reported speaking with Ratelband directly. His statement indicated that the former television personality wanted to be left alone. Nevertheless, Liefting did not identify his location. The Netherlands’ Foreign Ministry has reportedly received similar indications. Neither development has publicly established the circumstances surrounding Ratelband’s current residence.
Investigators face unanswered questions over Laos journey, Middle East flight and two young children
For Thai investigators, the next stage concerns movements beyond the country’s immigration records. Officers have established that Ratelband crossed into Laos in late 2025. However, no subsequent journey has been publicly verified. There is also no confirmation that Lao officials have established his onward movements or present location.
Natalia’s destination remains identified only as a Middle Eastern country. The Immigration Bureau has not disclosed whether further inquiries have traced her movements after departure. Nor has it provided information about whether either of Ratelband’s youngest children accompanied her. Their whereabouts remain unconfirmed in the public record.
Importantly, Thai police have announced no evidence of abduction, unlawful detention or financial crime involving Ratelband.
No criminal accusations have been announced against Natalia. The investigation has instead established that both adults left Thailand months before the family’s latest appeal. Their separate journeys are confirmed, but the reasons remain undisclosed.
Thai immigration inquiry continues as family awaits answers and former lawyer reports recent contact
As of Sunday, 25 October, the Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division has been instructed to gather additional information.
The family’s €2,500 reward remains part of its public appeal. Meanwhile, the most recent reported personal contact came through former lawyer Carlo Liefting on 21 October. His account indicated that Ratelband was well and wanted privacy, but did not establish his location.
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The next significant findings will depend on information about Ratelband’s movements after entering Laos. Investigators have not publicly established whether he travelled onwards or remained there.
In parallel, the family’s search for Betheke and Maximus remains unresolved. Thai police have confirmed the separate departures of Ratelband and Natalia, but have not accounted for the children. The Immigration Bureau’s Investigation Division is now tasked with obtaining further information that could assist the family.
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