Baden-Württemberg - Hope and fear - Two-year-old disappeared without a trace
The last fog of the night still hangs in the trees as a dozen police cars with flashing blue lights drive into the municipality of Bingen near the Swabian Alb on Monday morning. A two-year-old girl has been missing in the district of Hitzkofen since Sunday evening.
Police spokesman Christian Sugg reported that it was sub-zero temperatures during the night. More than 100 police officers, a helicopter and several sniffer dogs continued to search for the child on Monday.
The two-year-old is said to have left her parents' house in an unobserved moment on Sunday. This is located in the immediate vicinity of the River Lauchert. The normally calm river is currently in flood, as the mayor of the municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg, Jochen Fetzer (non-party), said. "That makes things even more dramatic." There is significantly more water in the river than usual. Like the police and other emergency services, the mayor hopes that the child will be found safe and sound despite all the adversity.
The police helicopter rattles over Hitzkofen again and again. Equipped with thick boots and caps, the police scour the river embankment, wooded areas and open spaces. "The atmosphere is oppressive," said Andrea Enz (63) from Bingen. She has grandchildren of a similar age herself. The case is close to her heart and she feels for them, said the 63-year-old.
Police comb every meter in the vicinity
On Monday afternoon, the police expanded their search radius. According to a police spokeswoman, a team of hundreds from the Ravensburg police headquarters and the Göppingen police headquarters ran away from the little girl's parents' house in a star shape and combed every meter. They also questioned family, acquaintances and friends. "It took hours."
Until late into the night on Sunday, around 180 emergency services from the fire department, technical relief organization, rescue service and German Red Cross searched for the two-year-old. Four drones and a helicopter were also in the air. However, the weather made it difficult to gain visibility, explained Oliver Weißflog, head of the police press office.
Divers were also deployed - but without success. The emergency services searched for the child at a weir, for example. The weir is located between Bingen and Sigmaringendorf, where the Lauchert flows into the Danube. "We have found no trace of the missing girl there," said a police spokeswoman.
In pyjamas on an icy night
Mayor Fetzer hopes that the missing girl spent the night somewhere warm. "I can't imagine that there is much hope when the temperature is below zero." Fetzer said that the mood in the village was sombre. The girl's parents are staying with friends outside the community. The family had only been living in the village since last year.
According to the parents' description, the two-year-old is around 60 centimetres tall and has short, blonde hair and blue eyes. "As far as we know, the girl is only wearing pyjamas," said Sugg. The Sigmaringen Criminal Investigation Department began the investigation and asked for information about the girl's whereabouts.
According to the police, there were no further clues - apart from the location of the disappearance - on Monday afternoon. "We are hoping for a happy outcome," said Sugg. It was initially unclear how long the search would last.
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The helicopter, with its prominent blue lights, continuously hovered over Hitzkofen, aiding the operational force in their search. The police car convoy from Baden-Württemberg arrived in the neighboring municipality of Bingen, near the Swabian Alps. Despite the chilling temperatures, over 100 police officers, along with a helicopter and sniffer dogs, continued the hunt for the missing two-year-old child, who went missing in an unnoticed moment near the River Lauchert on Sunday evening.
Andrea Enz, a resident of Bingen, shared her concern for the family, explaining that the situation struck a chord as she has grandchildren of a similar age. The police expanded their search radius on Monday afternoon, with a team of hundreds combing every meter around the child's parents' house, conducting interviews with family, friends, and acquaintances.
The preceding night saw around 180 emergency services from various units scour the area for the little girl. Despite deploying divers at the Lauchert's weir, located between Bingen and Sigmaringendorf, where the Lauchert flows into the Danube, no trace of the missing child was found. The investigation was now under the jurisdiction of the Sigmaringen Criminal Investigation Department, who were urging the public for any information regarding the missing two-year-old in pyjamas.
As hope for a swift resolution dwindled, Mayor Jochen Fetzer of Sigmaringen voiced his concerns about the freezing temperatures, saying that he struggled to imagine better conditions for the little girl. With the village in a heavy mood, the family moved temporarily to the residence of their friends outside the community. Meanwhile, the police spokesman expressed optimism, maintaining that the search would continue until the girl was found.
The case unfolded against the backdrop of a flood-affected river, with the normally calm Lauchert in a state of flood due to the recent weather conditions. Despite the challenges posed by the unpredictable weather and the floodwaters, the search for the missing child remained relentless, illustrating the community's collective determination and the force of hope in the face of adversity.
Source: www.stern.de
