14-year-old Maxim of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands, whom the police have been searching for almost a month in several European countries, was found on the night of Friday for Saturday (9/10 May 2026) near Białystok. The teenager slept at a bus stop – under a blanket – and is safe and sound.
Police officers from the Municipal Police Station in Białystok received a report of a "lain person" at a stop near the city (in the Sobolew area). They found a boy sleeping under a blanket. After checking the data, it turned out to be wanted since April 18, Maxim.
A teenager temporarily went to a care facility in Białystok. Information about his finding was immediately forwarded to the Dutch website. The boy's parents are on their way to Poland.
How'd it go missing?
On 18 April 2026, around noon Maxim left his home in the Zuidbroek district of Apeldoorn (central Holland) and did not return. Dutch police launched an international search – the boy was to head through Germany towards Poland, and perhaps further east. The case touched Europe and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an appeal for help.
Home Minister Marcin Kierwiński wrote today:
"The case that has touched all Europe has a happy ending. The missing 14-year-old Maxim, who left home almost a month ago and left the Netherlands on his bike, was found in Poland by Polish police."
Podlaska Police confirmed that the boy is safe and does not require hospitalization.
This is one of those rare cases where a multiweek search ends positively. Maxim has biked hundreds of kilometers across half of Europe – now waiting to meet his parents.
