An 11-year-old boy is suspected of involvement in the death of a 10-year-old girl inside a child and juvenile protection centre in southern Germany, police said on Friday.
The lifeless body of the little girl was found on Tuesday in her room inside the facility in the small Bavarian town of Wunsiedel.
Evidence gathered at the scene of the crime “indicates the involvement of an 11-year-old boy” staying at the same facility, police and local prosecutors said in a joint statement. “As the 11-year-old boy is under the age of criminal responsibility, he has been placed in a secure facility as a precautionary measure,” they added.
The officials declined to give further details on the case, saying only that the boy had not yet been interviewed and that they were closely coordinating their investigation with local juvenile authorities.
Bavaria’s interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, praised investigators for identifying a suspect “in a relatively short time.” “What is important now is to clarify the exact circumstances of this tragedy,” he noted.
The Wunsiedel child and juvenile protection centre, which houses about 90 children and youths, 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,” it continued in a statement.
On its website, the facility describes itself as supporting “young people and their families who need help with their education.”
