An 11-year-old boy is suspected of involvement in the death of a 10-year-old girl at a child and youth protection center in southern Germany, police said on Friday.
The girl’s body was found on Tuesday in her room, in the building in Wunsiedel, a small town in Bavaria.
Evidence collected at the crime scene “points to the involvement of an 11-year-old boy” who remained at the same center, police and local prosecutors said in a joint statement.
“Because the 11-year-old boy is not old enough for criminal responsibility, he has been placed in a secure facility as a precaution.”they added.
The case comes as Germany is still reeling from the shock of the multiple stabbing murder of 12-year-old Luise, confessed last month by two schoolgirls aged 12 and 13 in Freudenberg, a residential area in western Germany.
Police and prosecutors declined to comment further on the Wunsiedel case, saying only that the boy had not yet been questioned and that they were coordinating their investigation closely with local youth authorities.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann praised the detectives for identifying a suspect “in a relatively short time”.
“The most important thing now is to clarify the exact circumstances of this tragedy”he said.
The Wunsiedel Child and Youth Protection Center, which houses some 90 children and young people, said it was “deeply shocked” by the girl’s death.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the parents, the family, our children and our colleagues”said in a statement.
The school presents itself in a supportive way on its website “young people and their families who need help with their education”.
Source: DN
