The Australian police arrested a 42-year-old from Germany in Perth who is said to have murdered his then girlfriend, the German tourist Simone "Simmi" Strobel, 17 years ago. The man was long considered the prime suspect in the case. In the meantime, the investigators seem to be sure that they have enough evidence against him. According to Australian media reports, Tobias M. was transferred from the west coast to the metropolis of Sydney in the east of the country.
The crime against the then 25-year-old from Lower Franconia happened in 2005. Strobel went on a backpacking tour through Australia with her boyfriend, his sister and another friend. The group of four spent a few days at a campsite in Lismore, 700 kilometers north of Sydney, in February. Simone and her boyfriend slept in their van, the other two in the tent next to it.
In the night from February 11th to 12th, Simone Strobel disappeared without a trace. She wanted to stretch her legs a little, her boyfriend told the police - and didn't come back. Witnesses, on the other hand, report a dispute between Simone Strobel and her boyfriend Tobias. Her body was discovered five days later, hidden under palm branches ninety meters from the campsite. The then 25-year-old friend was suspected – but he was silent for years. His right. The police couldn't prove anything.
In October 2020, the Australian police made another attempt to solve the murder of the German backpacker. The authorities offered the equivalent of around 600,000 euros for information that led to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator. Police Chief Scott Tanner said at the time: "We know the truth is out there and we know there are people holding it back." In the past 15 years, further evidence had been evaluated and witnesses questioned. "But we also need the public's help to finally determine what happened to Simone." Your family deserves answers.
The investigators have now apparently come closer to these answers, also through new information and in cooperation with Bavarian authorities, who are also conducting a procedure at the same time. A spokesman for the Würzburg public prosecutor's office told Stern on Wednesday that there had recently been another hearing of witnesses and a DNA analysis in Germany. Australian authorities said they had conducted an extensive investigation into the suspect's arrest. Details were not disclosed.
On Thursday, Australian time, Tobias M. should be brought before a judge and the indictment read out, according to the Würzburg public prosecutor's office. The suspect is expected to appear in court in Australia. Whether the person who last lived in Perth will be deported to Germany after a possible conviction is a matter for the Australian authorities.
Video footage from Australian TV channel Nine News showed the detainee handcuffed in a car at Perth Airport, escorted by police officers. When asked by a journalist whether he wanted to say something to Simon Strobel's family, Tobias M.
In issue 5, stern Crime reported extensively on the murder of Simone Strobel. Read the whole story here at stern Crime PLUS (also available as an audio story) or download the e-paper here.
Sources: Stern Crime, New South Wales Police, Nine News, Würzburg Public Prosecutor, DPA and AFP news agencies
