Alleged child abduction
Fugitive Germans in Paraguay speak up
Anne Maja Reiniger-Egler from Germany is looking for her 10 year old daughter Clara Magdalena Egler in Paraguay. Photo: Jorge Saenz/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
A first sign of life from the family who fled to Paraguay: In a video they demand that the search be stopped.
In a case of alleged child abduction of two German girls in Paraguay, the fugitives have now spoken out in a video message.
“There is news about the German girls, they express themselves in a video,” says prosecutor Carina Sánchez on ABC television. “We have received video footage showing the two children. But we can’t use the background to determine her whereabouts.”
In the approximately two and a half minute video, the girls, aged ten and eleven, sit with their parents in front of a white wall and ask not to be searched any further. “I want the world to know that I came voluntarily and was not kidnapped,” said the 10-year-old girl.
Without the consent of the ex-partner to Paraguay
The father of one girl and the mother of the other girl are married to each other in their second marriage and are said to have emigrated to Paraguay with their two children in November last year without the consent of their respective ex-partners. According to the Paraguayan public prosecutor’s office, there is an arrest warrant issued against the couple by the international police agency Interpol.
During the search, the police in Paraguay arrested a 35-year-old man. He is said to have rented the family a car that was last found in the town of Bella Vista. Investigators found children’s clothing inside the vehicle. During an interrogation, the investigators now want to clarify whether the mechanic is an accomplice of the fugitives.
appeal to the fugitives
The lawyer for the parents left behind in Germany addressed the fugitives in an open letter. ‘Do the right thing. Get in touch with us or the authorities,” the letter said. “Our clients are not concerned with punishment. They want to find a solution with you that will enable everyone to have a future in peace and a return to normal life.”
According to media reports, the couple left a farewell letter in which they spoke out against vaccinating the girls against the corona virus.