Breath of fresh air in Hassendorf - Missing 13-year-old boy is back
Relief in Hassendorf near Rotenburg an der Wümme: After a day of searching with a large deployment of emergency services, the missing 13-year-old was found. The boy was found Thursday morning by a patrol from Sottrum police station in the municipality of Horstedt. "We had a witness statement from students that he took the school bus in a different direction," said a police spokesperson. After that, the area could be better contained.
According to police, the student is dependent on medication. "He is now being examined by a doctor. We don't know how stable he is," the spokesperson added. The child was searched for late into the night with the support of the fire department.
Parallels to the Arian case
The boy was last seen at his school in Sottrum on Wednesday morning. He had run away from home before and needs to take medication, but does not have a life-threatening illness.
Emergency services searched intensively because parallels to the six-year-old Arian case, who died near Bremervörde after running away from home and not being found until two months later, could not be ruled out. "We always had that in the back of our minds," said the police spokesperson. "Now everyone can breathe a sigh of relief."
Residents were asked to search their gardens, sheds, and garages, as well as other possible hiding places. The police could not rule out that the boy might be hiding there or in a state of distress. Unused buildings and barns should also be checked. Hassendorf is about 40 kilometers east of Bremen.
The police spokesperson mentioned that the boy was last seen taking the school bus in a different direction, which led to the area being better contained. In the aftermath of the incident, the police urged residents to check their properties for any signs of the boy, as he might be hiding or in a distressed state.
