Baden-Württemberg
Two-year-old still missing in Bingen – trail leads to nearby river
Police units are searching on the banks of the Lauchert for the two-year-old who went missing in Bingen in Baden-Württemberg
© Christoph Schmidt / DPA
A nightmare shortly before Christmas Eve: A child disappears from his parents’ home in Bingen on Advent Sunday. A large search is underway for the two-year-old girl. The cold and a river are a concern.
The last of the night’s fog was still hanging in the trees when a dozen police cars with flashing lights drove into the community on Monday morning Bingen at the foot of the Swabian Alb. A two-year-old girl has been missing in the Hitzkofen district since Sunday evening. More than 100 police officers, a helicopter and several sniffer dogs continued to try hard to find the child on Monday – but again without success. The search will continue on Tuesday, including with the help of the water police. “No new findings are expected during the course of the night,” it was said in the evening.
Trail leads to nearby river
In an unobserved moment, the two-year-old is said to have left her parents’ house on Sunday between 4 and 5 p.m. This is located in close proximity to the Lauchert River. According to a police spokeswoman, police tracking dogs picked up a trail of the girl that led to Lauchert. The normally calm river is currently in flood, as the mayor of the municipality in the Baden-Württemberg district of Sigmaringen, Jochen Fetzer, said. “That makes things even more dramatic.” There is significantly more water in the river than usual. Fetzer, like the police and other emergency services, hopes to find the child safely despite all the odds.
The police helicopter repeatedly rattles over Hitzkofen. Equipped with thick boots and hats, the police officers comb the river embankment, forest areas and open spaces. “The mood is depressing,” said Andrea Enz from Bingen. She has grandchildren of a similar age herself. The case is close to her and she feels for it, said the 63-year-old.
On Monday afternoon, the police expanded their search radius. According to a police spokeswoman, a hundred from the Ravensburg police headquarters and the police headquarters from Göppingen ran in a star shape from the little one’s parents’ house and combed every meter. In addition, family, acquaintances and friends were questioned. “It takes hours.” The child’s parents’ home was also searched. “There are no indications of traces of violence,” said police spokesman Christian Sugg. In a statement in the evening, the Presidium explained that it was about possible new search approaches.
Around 180 emergency services from the fire department, technical relief organization, rescue service and German Red Cross searched for the two-year-old until late into the night on Sunday. Four drones and a helicopter were also in the air. But the weather made it difficult to get visibility, explained Oliver Weißflog, head of the police press office.
Divers were also deployed – but without success. The emergency services looked for the child at a weir. The weir is located between Bingen and Sigmaringendorf, where the Lauchert flows into the Danube. “We found no trace of the missing girl there,” said a police spokeswoman.
Concern in Bingen
“We hope for a happy outcome,” said police spokesman Sugg. However, the circumstances must be kept realistically in mind: the temperatures last night were below zero. “According to our knowledge, the girl is only dressed in pajamas. These are the general conditions we have that are not particularly conducive to such a search in the missing person case.”
Mayor Fetzer hopes that the missing girl spent the night somewhere warm. “I can’t imagine that there is still much hope when the temperature is below zero.” The mood in the town was affected, reports Fetzer. The girl’s parents are staying with friends outside the community. The family has only been living in the area since last year.
According to the latest information, the two-year-old is tall for her age and has short, blonde hair and blue eyes. The Sigmaringen Criminal Police Office began the investigation and asked for information about the whereabouts of the missing people.