crime
Mourning for killed Valeriia – investigations continue
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
After the arrest of a suspect in the Valeriia case from Döbeln in Saxony, the motive and background of the crime are being sought. People are shocked – and united in grief and prayer.
Following the arrest of a suspect in the case of the murdered Valeriia from Saxony, The search for clues continues in Döbeln. “The investigations are also ongoing over the weekend,” said a police spokesman in Chemnitz.
One of the things being investigated is where the accused was with the nine-year-old. There are still many unanswered questions in the case, and the motive and background of the crime are not yet known.
Meanwhile, people in the town where Valeriia lived are publicly mourning the elementary school student from Ukraine, who fled to Germany with her mother in 2022 to escape the war in her homeland. On Friday evening, around 2,500 people remembered the killed girl in an emotional memorial service in Döbeln. Accompanied by music, around 900 balloons rose into the sky in memory of Valeriia, and many laid flowers and candles.
Investigators await extradition of suspect
According to police reports, around 800 people “of all ages” gathered in the morning for an ecumenical service for Valeriia on the Obermarkt. They prayed in the open air with pastors from the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches, remembered the murdered girl and joined in the intercessions. Flowers and grave candles were laid out on the sidelines, and candles were placed on the stage in front of a portrait of the child who had been taken from this life.
Meanwhile, investigators are waiting for the extradition of the accused, who was arrested in Prague last Friday. As soon as the Czech authorities approve this, “he will be handed over for prosecution,” the spokeswoman for the Chemnitz public prosecutor’s office said on Saturday when asked. More information on this will not be available before next week. It is still unclear why the nine-year-old had to die and what exactly happened.
Child’s body found after week-long search
The man arrested in a restaurant in the Czech capital, a 36-year-old Moldovan, is suspected of manslaughter and murder. He was also wanted on a European arrest warrant. He is in custody in the Moldovan city and an extradition request has been made.
Valeriia didn’t come to class on the morning of June 3rd and disappeared. Hundreds of emergency services searched for her for a good week – and then found her body in the undergrowth of a forest south of Döbeln last Tuesday. The search for a perpetrator then focused primarily on the girl’s social environment, and three days later the handcuffs clicked.
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.