DNA comparison brings certainty: Child's body found in Lower Saxony is Arian
Investigators had previously assumed with near certainty that the corpse was that of the six-year-old boy who had been reported missing. No indications of a crime emerged during the autopsy, as both the prosecutor's office and the police had announced on Thursday. "No evidence of criminal acts was found," they said.
Arian had gone missing from his family home in the Bremervoerde district on April 22nd. Due to his autism, extensive searches were conducted both on the ground and in the air around Elm. Hundreds of response teams scoured the rural and wooded areas. At the end of April, a special investigation team from the police took over.
On a hilly afternoon, a farmer discovered a child's body by chance during farming activities on a meadow near Behrste in the Stade district, about three kilometers from Elm. The police announced shortly after the discovery that it was likely Arian and that there were no indications of external involvement. The further investigations are ongoing.
- Despite the initial certainty, further DNA analysis at the public prosecutor's office was requested to confirm the identity of the child's corpse.
- The certainty about the corpse's identity was contingent upon the results of the DNA comparison between the evidence found and that of Arian's family.
- The mowing work on the meadow where the child's body was discovered might have potentially contaminated the site, making the DNA collection process more challenging.
- In Lower Saxony, the police are meticulously conducting the DNA comparison to provide conclusive evidence for or against the presumption that the corpse is Arian's.
- As part of the mowing work, the police ensured that the area where the child's body was found was thoroughly marked to preserve the potential DNA evidence.
- The certainty about Arian's fate would bring closure to his family and the community, as the ongoing crime investigation continues to determine the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
