crime
Many unanswered questions in the Valeriia case
Valeriia disappeared without a trace on the morning of June 3rd on her way to school. Her body was found last Tuesday. The police suspect that it was a violent crime. Photo
© Hendrik Schmidt/dpa
A suspect has been arrested in the Valeriia case from Döbeln. However, investigators in Saxony are continuing to search for the background and motive – and are hoping for the man’s quick extradition.
After the arrest of a suspect in the case of the murdered Valeriia from Saxony, Döbeln is still looking for the background to the crime. “The investigations will of course continue over the weekend,” the spokeswoman for the Chemnitz public prosecutor’s office told the German Press Agency when asked.
The authorities are waiting for the extradition of the man arrested in Prague on Friday. As soon as the Czech authorities approve this, “he will be handed over for prosecution.” Further information on this will not be available until next week.
Why did the girl have to die?
It is still unclear why the girl was killed and what exactly happened. The accused, a 36-year-old Moldovan, who was arrested in a restaurant in the Czech capital, is strongly suspected of having killed the nine-year-old. The man was also wanted on a European arrest warrant. He is in custody in the Moldovan city and an extradition request has been made.
The girl fled to Germany with her mother in 2022 to escape the war in Ukraine. On the morning of June 3, Valeriia did not arrive at school and disappeared. Hundreds of emergency services searched for her for a good week and then found her body last Tuesday in the undergrowth of a forest south of Döbeln.
Mother’s ex-boyfriend as suspect
In recent days, the search for a perpetrator has focused primarily on the girl’s social environment. According to “Bild” information, the suspect is said to be the ex-boyfriend of Valeriia’s mother. He is said to have contacted her before the girl disappeared and was also filmed by the surveillance camera of a neighboring house.
On Friday evening, around 2,500 people remembered the murdered girl in an emotional memorial service in Döbeln. Accompanied by music, around 900 balloons were released into the sky in memory of Valeriia, and many laid flowers and candles. An ecumenical memorial service is planned for Sunday on the Obermarkt. The city has set up a donation account to support the family, and around 8,700 euros had been received by Friday.