The two women who were found at the foot of a bridge on the N18 in Haaksbergen on Monday night were mother and daughter, local broadcaster RTV Oost has reported.

The mother had died under suspicious circumstances and police have arrested her surviving daughter (36) who is recuperating in hospital. She has since talked to the police but no further clarification about the circumstances of the mother’s death have been given.

Apart from injuries compatible with a fall from the bridge, where their bicycles were abandoned, police found evidence of other wounds. It is unclear if the women injured themselves or attacked each other. Nor have the police ruled out the presence of a third person.

RTV Oost said the daughter worked as a ‘spiritual therapist’ and had posted a photo of prime minister Mark Rutte with a ram’s horn on her website, saying he had ‘sold his soul to the devil’.

Police spokeswoman Chantal Westerhoff told the broadcaster she would not comment on the rumours. ‘We are investigating a possible crime and do not want to draw any conclusions prematurely, she said.