Sad certainty: The girl from Döbeln who had been missing for more than a week is dead. This was revealed by the autopsy of a body that was found in a forest on Tuesday. According to initial findings by investigators, nine-year-old Valeriia was killed. There is no evidence of a sexual crime. So far, there is no trace of the perpetrator.
The person found dead on Tuesday was nine-year-old Valeriia, who had been missing for more than a week. The police said there were indications that the girl had fallen victim to a crime. They said they were investigating the case as a homicide. However, it appears that there was no sexual offence.
The investigators said that known repeat offenders were also being checked during the investigation. There are no suspects yet. The investigation is now concentrating on the family’s immediate social circle. The exact time of the child’s death has not yet been determined. According to initial findings, the location where the child was found was probably the crime scene, the investigators said when asked by journalists. The investigators were shocked by the crime.
We will make every effort to identify the perpetrator. We owe this to Valeriia and her family.
Carsten Kaempf, Chemnitz Police Chief
School psychologists in action
Since the body was found, several school psychologists have been on crisis duty at the affected primary school in Döbeln since Wednesday. They are supporting teachers and students and offering discussions, said the spokesman for the Saxon State Office for Schools and Education, Clemens Arndt. They are expected to continue their work on Thursday.
Image rights: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Tobias Junghannß
Body found in dense undergrowth
On Tuesday it was initially said that they were checking whether it was the missing nine-year-old from Döbeln. The criminal police and a crime scene team from the Saxony State Office of Criminal Investigation (LKA) were investigating the site. During the night, the autopsy confirmed that it was the missing child.
Image rights: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Daniel Schäfer
The child’s body was found on Tuesday during a search operation “away from any forest paths, deep in the undergrowth,” said the head of the Chemnitz Criminal Investigation Department, Mandy Kürschner. The forest area lies between Mahlitzsch and the Döbeln district of Hermsdorf. Emergency services had been searching there on Tuesday specifically for Valeriia, who had been missing for more than a week.
- June 3: At around 6:50 a.m., Valeriia sets off for her elementary school “Am Holländer” in Döbeln. But she doesn’t show up for class. Her disappearance is only noticed when she doesn’t come home in the afternoon. Her mother starts looking for her herself.
- June 3: At around 6:25 p.m., the mother reports the missing person to the police. The search then begins in Döbeln, with tracking dogs and a police helicopter. At 11:27 p.m., the police issue a press release informing the public about the manhunt, including a description of the person.
- June 4: The search continues. Divers and the water police are deployed. They inspect bodies of water such as the Freiberger Mulde and several ponds. According to the police, investigations are being carried out in all directions – an accident is being considered as well as a criminal offense.
- June 5: The police call on the public to check their own gardens, cellars, garages or sheds. The State Office for Education and Schools also gets involved and investigates why the school did not inform the mother that Valeria was missing. A witness comes forward and says that she heard screams from a forest area two days earlier.
- June 6: The police expand the search, more than 300 officers are called in – but without finding any concrete clues. Because the girl and her mother come from Ukraine and the father lives there, the investigators are also in contact with colleagues abroad – in Ukraine and possible transit countries Poland and the Czech Republic.
- June 7: During the search, investigators analyzed large amounts of image and video material. They used so-called super-recognizers, which are particularly good at remembering and recognizing faces. “We all hope that she will be found safe and sound as soon as possible,” says Döbeln’s mayor Sven Liebhauser.
- June 8/9: While the search continues on site, Valeriia’s father speaks out via video. He appeals to possible kidnappers to return “their beloved child” to the parents. In the “Bild am Sonntag” newspaper, he announces that he will come to Germany to help with the search.
- June 10: One week after the disappearance, the search continues. The police announce another large-scale operation for the following day. After that, the search in the area will be stopped for the time being.
- June 11th: More than 400 police officers roam the forests, meadows and fields in the south of Döbeln. At around 2:30 p.m. they find a body. The area is then cordoned off. The police do not want to say whether it is the missing child.
- June 12: The police announce that the dead woman is Valeriia and that she was the victim of a crime. According to investigators, there is currently no evidence of a sexual crime. According to police, there is no suspect yet, but investigators are concentrating on the girl’s social environment.
Investigators still face many unanswered questions
The girl, who came from Ukraine and had lived with her mother in Döbeln since 2022, was last seen on June 3. She was on her way to elementary school but never arrived there. A missing person report on the television shows “Aktenzeichen XY ungelöst” and “Kripo live” had also not provided any concrete clues. According to the police, it is still unclear whether the child got on a bus on the way to school as usual. The investigation is still ongoing. According to the police, a witness came forward last week who claims to have heard screams on the day of Valeriia’s disappearance near the forest area where the body was found nine days later. However, the exact area could not be narrowed down, a police spokeswoman said.
Investigations against school ongoing
When Valeriia did not return from school as usual on June 3, her mother alerted the police. The school supervisory authority is investigating the girl’s school. They are looking into why the reporting chain was not followed. The school is said to have not informed either the mother or the police that the girl did not arrive at school on Monday.
Image rights: xcitepress
According to the police, the mother of the girl who was killed is currently receiving psychological counseling. There is also contact with the father, who lives in Ukraine and says he is serving as a soldier at the front. For reasons of privacy, no further information about the family was provided.
Döbeln cancels city festival and offers opportunity for shared mourning
Döbeln’s mayor Sven Liebhauser (CDU) has cancelled the town festival planned for next weekend. This is in response to the wishes of many citizens who do not feel like celebrating. The town is in mourning. There will be a memorial service on Friday at 6 p.m. on the Obermarkt, to which the residents are invited. A church service is planned at the same location on Sunday at 10 a.m.
more on the subject
This topic in the program:MDR SACHSEN | MDR SACHSENSPIEGEL | 12 June 2024 | 7:00 p.m.