Child disappeared near Stendal
Excavation in the case of the missing Inga – forensic medicine examines small bones
Inga from Schönebeck near Magdeburg was five years old when she disappeared on May 2, 2015 while visiting with her family in the remote Wilhelmshof district of Stendal
© Stendal Police / DPA
Inga has disappeared without a trace since May 2015. What happened to the girl from Saxony-Anhalt? Eight and a half years later, the police turn to shovels and spades for new clues. Now it’s forensic medicine’s turn.
Five-year-old Inga disappeared eight and a half years ago in Stendal, apparently without a trace – now she’s gone Police are following new leads in the case. Excavations on private property were completed this week on Thursday afternoon. A spokesman for the Halle police station said this at the request of the German Press Agency (dpa).
A few small bones were found during the excavations, said the spokesman for the Stendal public prosecutor’s office, Thomas Kramer. Several obviously came from animals, but some are not sure whether they are of human origin. No distinctive bones such as skulls or pelvises were found, Kramer said. Forensic medical examinations followed.
Shovels and spades were used to dig on the former military site, and a mini excavator was also available. The excavations began after a tip-off, about which police spokesman Ripke did not provide any further details.
At the beginning of December, the media reported on a privately organized search with special dogs in the area, which was snowy at the time. Several dogs indicated that there could be possible human remains in an area near Uchtspringe, a district of Stendal, or that there could have been a dumping site there. The private investigation group wanted to pass on its findings to the police, the reports said.
Case of the missing Inga: New investigators from Halle took over the investigation
Five-year-old Inga from Schönebeck near Magdeburg disappeared on May 2, 2015 while visiting with her family in the remote Stendal district of Wilhelmshof – her fate remains unclear to this day. The five-year-old was last seen preparing for a barbecue. Extensive searches with technology and sniffer dogs as well as more than 1,500 emergency services had produced no results. The investigators followed up on more than 2,000 leads and clues. Ponds were pumped out, bodies of water examined and buildings searched several times. However, there was no trace of the girl.
In April, the Halle police station took over the evaluation and analysis of the current status of the investigation. The investigators should take an unbiased look at the case, which was previously at the Stendal police station. This implements a new cold case management that Saxony-Anhalt’s Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU) initiated. If investigations into homicides and missing persons remain inconclusive for a long time, uninvolved, experienced teams of investigators in Saxony-Anhalt should be brought in for a second look.
Read at stern+: A peaceful small town. A family that thought they had found happiness. A young man who pretends to be great and wants the lowest things.