Body of 13-year-old Lisa found in Brandenburg – Suspect in critical condition
Missing Berlin schoolgirl Lisa T. was found dead in a house in Altglietzen, Brandenburg. A suspected perpetrator is in hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Body discovered in vacant house
Following the discovery of the body of 13-year-old Lisa T. from Berlin-Marzahn, the suspected perpetrator is in critical condition. As tagesspiegel.de reports, the man under suspicion is in "a critical state", said Michael Petzold, spokesman for the Berlin public prosecutor's office. Police found the girl's body on Sunday at around 12 o'clock in an uninhabited detached house in Altglietzen (Märkisch-Oderland district), a district of Bad Freienwalde. The house is located approximately one hour's drive north-east of Lisa's place of residence on the Berlin city boundary.
The girl's identity was established beyond doubt. In the same building, officers found the man with life-threatening injuries who is suspected of killing Lisa. Rescue workers took him to a hospital, where he is under police guard. His identity has not yet been established.
Accidental discovery during trespass operation
The discovery was accidental. The Berlin public prosecutor's office and police announced on Sunday evening that Brandenburg officers had been called due to suspected trespass. The property owner had noticed that unauthorised persons had gained access to the building – presumably during a viewing appointment for the sale of the house. Inside, police officers discovered the girl's body and the injured man.
According to information from the German Press Agency, the man is believed to have inflicted the injuries on himself with a firearm. Investigators believe that he previously killed the girl.
Cause of death subject of post-mortem examination
The public prosecutor's office makes no statement about the exact time of Lisa's death. According to information from the German Press Agency, the girl is believed to have been dead for some time. The forensic examination is scheduled for Monday in Berlin-Mitte. Investigators are also checking whether a sexual crime was committed. Petzold made no comment on the exact nature of the man's injuries.
Search initially focused on Berlin
Lisa T. had been missing since Tuesday, 3 November. She left her home on Golliner Straße at around 7.15 a.m. Police issued missing person reports and focused the search on the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district and the immediate Brandenburg area. There were no indications until the body was found that the girl could be located 50 kilometres away, said spokesman Petzold to the Tagesspiegel.
On Saturday, around 220 police officers were deployed. On Sunday, this number rose to more than 100. Officers went door-to-door, distributed witness appeals, searched with sniffer dogs and a helicopter. The Barnimplatz and the area around Kaufpark Eiche at the state boundary were also searched.
Neighbourhood observations after discovery
Following the discovery, residents report observations in the days before it was found. A neighbour told the "Bild" that on Tuesday – the day she went missing – a car with Berlin registration plates with hazard lights had stood outside the house for hours. Other neighbours said they heard calls for help in recent days but did not alert anyone.
Mother appealed publicly for help
On social media, Lisa's mother appealed to the public. She published videos on Facebook in which the family asked for help with the search. "Mum just hopes that you come home safe and healthy. Mum misses you so much," the mother wrote in another post in Vietnamese. The family assumed that Lisa might have been abducted. "She would not run away, she is not like that," Lisa's older sister told the "B.Z.".
Murder commission investigates
The murder commissions of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office and the Berlin public prosecutor's office are leading the investigation. According to Tagesspiegel information, new search measures will take place on Monday in the woods behind the property. On Sunday, the surrounding area had already been searched for evidence. The authorities had already identified indications of a capital crime – a particularly serious crime such as murder, manslaughter or serious sexual offences – before the body was found and had set up a murder commission.
Source: BILD