After more than a week, sad certainty: A 14-year-old from Gottenheim near Freiburg is dead. According to dpa information, her body was found on Friday almost 300 kilometers from her home town in a lake in the Wetteraukreis in Hesse. The student had been missing since July 21. It was not initially known why the girl had to die. According to unconfirmed media information, the alleged perpetrator should be known to the police.
The investigators kept a low profile over the weekend: "We ask for your understanding that we cannot provide any information beyond the previous press release," said a police spokesman in Freiburg on Sunday. More information was announced for Monday.
In the home of the student and at the distant place of discovery in Hesse, sadness and horror prevail. The dead girl was found on a small lake in a nature reserve of the Wetterau north of Frankfurt am Main, which is often used for excursions. According to dpa information, it is the Teufelsee.
"Obscure Story"
A couple is here with bikes on Sunday. The two are here more often because there are many bike paths. The fact that a corpse has now been found here leaves her stunned. "It's shocking that we were close by," says the 34-year-old woman. Her 53-year-old partner says, "What is she doing here that isn't readily accessible? It's a murky story."
A forensic examination revealed that the body found at the lake was the student from Gottenheim, as the police announced on Saturday evening.
The teenager left her parents' house around 6 p.m. on July 21 and has been missing ever since. A major police search, including with dogs and police helicopters, yielded no results. The investigators had followed countless tips from the population. A search was also made for possible witnesses. The criminal police had investigated in all directions.
On Saturday then the sad news from the police: "The forensic examination has shown that the dead person found in the Wetteraukreis in Hesse is the missing 14-year-old from Gottenheim. The public search is withdrawn."
A group of investigators from the Freiburg Kripo is working on the case. The police did not provide any further information on Sunday and referred to a press conference on Monday in Freiburg. Media reports that the girl fell victim to a violent crime and had previously had contact with the perpetrator were not confirmed by the public prosecutor and the police on Sunday.
