DThe twelve-year-old from Freudenberg, South Westphalia, who has been missing since Saturday evening, is dead. The female body found on Sunday afternoon was the girl she was looking for, the Koblenz police said in the evening. For reasons of investigation tactics, no information could yet be given about the cause of death.
The body was found in a forest above Freudenberg-Hohenhain. Police officers took over the on-site investigation. Further information could not be given at first, it said.
Also search dogs in action
Police and rescue workers had searched for the girl with a large contingent. The child was last seen around 5:30 p.m. walking home after visiting a friend. The shortest way led through a forest.
Freudenberg is located on the state border with Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein.
Firefighters and police were involved in the search. Area search dogs and “mantrailer” dogs specializing in the search for people were also present. A helicopter with a thermal imaging camera also flew over the area during the night. The search went through the night.
On Sunday morning, the forces of a hundred of the Cologne riot police were added. “We are looking extensively with extremely strong forces,” said a police spokeswoman on Sunday afternoon. The police also released a photo of the child.
There is no evidence that a family dispute caused the girl to run away, the spokeswoman said.