Investigation success in Gelsenkirchen
Victims of “serious crimes”: Police find unknown girl after public search
The Gelsenkirchen police were looking for the little girl with this photo, among other things
© Police Gelsenkirchen
“The girl was found thanks to witnesses.” The Gelsenkirchen police have identified a child who may have been the victim of serious crimes. Previously, the officials had gone unusual ways.
She searched for more than a week Police in Gelsenkirchen publicly after an unknown girl who is said to have been the victim of a serious crime – now the investigators are reporting success.
“The girl was found thanks to witnesses,” said a police spokesman on Wednesday morning. Numerous references to the child were received after officials published two photos in the past week.
The Gelsenkirchen police went public with photos of the girl
The police do not want to reveal how the girl is doing, where she is from and other details. “For reasons of victim protection, we ask you to refrain from further inquiries,” it said.
Again star reported that the police had gone public with the two photos of the kindergarten-age girl last Tuesday. The recordings were discovered during investigations into a suspect. It can be assumed that “significant crimes against a female child” were committed, the police said. The officials did not want to give details of the allegations, “for reasons of investigation and victim protection,” as a spokesman said star-Request explained at the time.
The recordings of the girl were probably taken somewhere in Germany in August 2017 – but his identity remained unclear during the investigation. A judge eventually approved the release of the two photos. It is an absolute rarity for the police to publish pictures of crime victims, especially those who are minors. All other investigative approaches must be exhausted.
In order to track down pedophile sex offenders, the European police authority Europol is pursuing a similar approach with the “Trace an object” project, but without depicting the victims. Internet users are asked to provide information about distinctive objects such as clothing, crockery or home decorations that can be seen in pictures or videos of sexual violence against children. 23 children have already been saved in this way since 2017, and five people have been arrested. You can see a selection of current objects here.
Source: Police Gelsenkirchen, Europol