A girl is found dead in a child care facility. Early signs point to a homicide. Three boys are targeted by the investigators.
The three underage boys who are the focus of investigators after the death of a girl in a child and youth welfare facility in Wunsiedel, Upper Franconia, were not initially taken into police custody. The German Press Agency learned this from security circles on Wednesday. Instead, they are in a youth protection facility.
Security circles spoke of indications that the three underage boys were involved in an incident that led to the death of the ten-year-old. However, it is unclear to what extent this participation was the cause of the girl’s death and whether it could have been an accident.
First signs of third-party debt
There had previously been reports that two boys aged 11 and a 16-year-old were the focus of investigators. The “Bild” had reported that the young people had been taken into custody. The police did not confirm the information when asked by t-online.
Employees of the facility discovered the child lifeless in a room on Tuesday, according to the police headquarters in Upper Franconia and the public prosecutor’s office in Hof. An emergency doctor could only determine the death of the girl. According to the police, a forensic medical examination was ordered to clarify the exact cause of death. According to initial findings, there were signs of third-party negligence in the child’s death.
Report: evidence of sexual offenses
The criminal police have formed a special commission, said a police spokeswoman t-online. According to “Bild” there is also evidence of a sexual offense. The police did not confirm this information either.
Employees found the body in the St. Josef children’s and youth welfare center around 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning. For tactical reasons, the public was not informed about the discovery of the body for 24 hours, said a police spokeswoman. The process had been agreed with the public prosecutor’s office.
“The work at the crime scene is not yet complete,” said the spokeswoman. Accordingly, traces are currently being further evaluated and interrogations carried out. You have to think “in all directions”.
“Horrible News”
The mayor of Wunsiedel, Nicolas Lahovnik, commented on Facebook after the death was announced. He wrote: “While I’m spending a few days off with my family over Easter, I hear the terrible news that a suspected homicide has occurred in a youth welfare facility in Wunsiedel.” His sympathy goes to those affected, the family, the other children in the home and the staff in the facility.
Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann (CSU), said: “This terrible act has shocked me deeply and leaves me stunned.” His thoughts are also with the bereaved, for whom a world has collapsed. It is important that it is now clarified as quickly as possible who was involved in the act and what the background was.
Facility not fully occupied due to Easter holidays
The St. Josef child and youth welfare center is a Catholic home in which educators look after around 90 children and young people on a full and part-time basis. Most of them come from difficult family backgrounds from all over Germany and could not live with their families at all or not permanently. The living quarters are distributed over a spacious area. Around 80 professionals are currently employed.
Due to the holiday season – currently the Easter holidays in Bavaria – the facility is not fully occupied, said a police spokesman on Wednesday afternoon. After the events, the children and young people would be cared for by appropriately trained staff.
The town of Wunsiedel in the Fichtelgebirge has around 9,200 inhabitants. It is about 90 kilometers north-east of Nuremberg and only a few kilometers from the border with the Czech Republic.
