Lower Saxony
Bramsche: Victim and suspect are said to have known each other
The police cordoned off the crime scene in Bramsche, Lower Saxony. photo
© Heinz-Jürgen Reiss/Nord-West-Media TV /dpa
The police set up a homicide squad to investigate the violent death of a 19-year-old girl at a birthday party. The investigators rely on the help of witnesses.
In the case of the violently killed 19-year-old in Bramsche, the investigators assume that the victim and the alleged perpetrator knew each other. “We assume that the two did not meet for the first time,” said the spokesman for the Osnabrück public prosecutor’s office, chief public prosecutor Alexander Retemeyer, on Monday with a view to the crime at a birthday party with around 150 guests.
The exact relationship between the two is part of the investigation. A homicide squad was set up. The suspect, a 20-year-old German, has not yet commented on the allegations. He is in custody on suspicion of murder.
On Monday, the investigators appealed in particular to the party guests who had not yet been questioned. The officials are looking for witnesses who can provide information about what happened outside immediately before the crime. The 19-year-old was missing on Sunday night during the celebration in a rifle club on the occasion of an 18th birthday. Guests then searched for her and later found her seriously injured in a nearby meadow. Her death was pronounced at the hospital.
“We ask you not to participate in hatred and hate speech”
The investigators are also looking for clues about the suspect: “Who can give clues about the suspect leaving the crime scene/event?” the officials asked in the call. The first interviews on Sunday night led to the suspect, who was finally arrested in his apartment.
The investigators also called for rumours, speculation and misinformation circulating on social networks and messengers not to be spread. “We ask you not to participate in hate and hate speech,” said a police spokesman. There are hate messages against the suspects in circulation on the Internet, which are punishable. The police follow these messages.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, an autopsy of the body was carried out on Sunday. For tactical reasons, the result should not initially be announced, said the spokesman for the public prosecutor’s office. Based on the way the young woman’s body was found, investigators are assuming a homicide as well as a sex crime.
“This case should keep us busy for a long time,” said Retemeyer, also with a view to the around 150 party guests. With a large contingent, the police held the guests at the Schützenhalle that night to take personal details and conduct initial interviews. Photographs were taken of everyone present. The search, the securing and the evaluation of traces continued on Monday, the police said. The homicide squad was also supported by the riot police.