Child disappears near Stendal - Excavation in the case of missing Inga - Forensic medicine examines small bones
Eight and a half years ago, five-year-old Inga disappeared in Stendal, apparently without a trace - now the police are following up new leads in the case. Excavations on a private property were completed this week, on Thursday afternoon. A spokesperson for the Halle police station said this in response to an inquiry from the German Press Agency (dpa).
A few small bones were found during the excavations, explained Thomas Kramer, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office in Stendal. Several were obviously from animals, and it was not certain whether some of them were of human origin. No distinctive bones such as skulls or pelvises were found, Kramer said. Forensic examinations followed.
Shovels and spades were used to dig on the former military site, and a mini excavator was also on hand. The excavations had been started following a tip-off, about which police spokesman Ripke did not provide any further details.
At the beginning of December, the media reported on a privately organized search with special dogs in the area, which was snow-covered at the time. Several dogs had indicated that possible human remains could lie in an area near Uchtspringe, a district of Stendal, or that there could have been a dumping site there. The private investigation team wanted to pass on their findings to the police, the reports said.
Case of missing Inga: New investigators from Halle take over investigation
Five-year-old Inga from Schönebeck near Magdeburg disappeared on May 2, 2015 during a visit with her family in the remote Stendal district of Wilhelmshof - her fate remains unknown to this day. The five-year-old was last seen while preparing a barbecue. Extensive searches using technology and sniffer dogs as well as more than 1,500 emergency personnel had led to no results. Investigators followed up more than 2000 leads and clues. Ponds were pumped out, bodies of water examined and buildings searched several times. Nevertheless, there was no trace of the girl.
In April, the Halle police station took over the evaluation and analysis of the current state of the investigation. The investigators were asked to take an unbiased look at the case, which had previously been handled by the Stendal police station. This is the implementation of a new cold-case management system initiated by Saxony-Anhalt Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU). If investigations into homicide and missing persons cases remain unsuccessful for a long time, uninvolved, experienced investigative teams are to be called in for a second look in Saxony-Anhalt.
Read at stern+: A peaceful small town. A family who thought they had found happiness. A young man who pretends to be great and wants the worst.
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The new investigators from Halle are now in charge of the case of missing Inga, which originally was handled by the Stendal police station. The excavations at the former military site in Stendal were conducted by the police, following a tip-off, and small bones were discovered during the process. The public prosecutor's office in Saxony-Anhalt, specifically in Stendal, is currently conducting forensic examinations on the found bones to determine their origin.
Source: www.stern.de
