The body of a five-year-old girl is found in the Pankow district of Berlin. The investigations proceed quickly: that same evening, a friend of the family is arrested. The 19-year-old is now in custody on suspicion of manslaughter.
After the body of a five-year-old girl was found in a Berlin park, an arrest warrant was issued against the suspect on suspicion of manslaughter. This was announced by the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office in the evening. Accordingly, the 19-year-old, who was arrested on Tuesday at the edge of the park, was brought before the magistrate on Wednesday.
The public prosecutor had previously announced further details of the case. The suspect is an acquaintance of the girl’s family, said a spokeswoman. Accordingly, on Tuesday he looked after the five-year-old and her siblings as a babysitter in a playground near the Bürgerpark in Berlin-Pankow. The girl’s body was later discovered.
According to the spokeswoman, the mother of the 19-year-old and the five-year-old who was killed are friends. The accused had already taken care of the four siblings aged one to five years several times – including on Tuesday when he was with the four children on the playground. Meanwhile, he went away with the five-year-old when she had to go to the toilet. So he came back without the girl.
The five-year-old was initially reported missing. A passer-by found her dead and injured in a bush around 5:40 p.m. After the girl was found, attempts were made to resuscitate her, but without success. According to the prosecutor’s office, the girl suffered at least one laceration from a knife. An autopsy would have to provide more information.
(This article was first published on Wednesday, February 22, 2023.)
