Over 50,000 euros reward for clue to woman's murder in 1986
A reward of now 52,500 euros is to help the investigation into a 37-year-old murder case in Vorpommern. The money will be paid for crucial clues that lead to solving the murder of a 21-year-old woman from Spandowerhagen (Vorpommern-Greifswald district), the police announced on Tuesday. The nursery school teacher was strangled to death in a small wooded area on the edge of the village in 1986.
The case, classified as a "cold case", was the subject of the ZDF program "Aktenzeichen XY... Unsolved". Since then, more than 50 tips have been received, the police reported. However, the decisive tip for solving the case was not among them. A private individual, who wishes to remain anonymous, has now offered the prospect of 50,000 euros in the event that the perpetrator is identified through relevant information. The public prosecutor's office had already offered a reward of 2,500 euros in September.
Anyone who could help solve the case would receive the full amount, it said. In the coming days, both known witnesses and new informants will be questioned further about the case. Old leads will also be re-examined.
According to police and the public prosecutor's office, the 21-year-old had gone to the disco in Lubmin by bike with friends on August 2, 1986. Shortly after midnight, she rode back alone on her bike. A day later, walkers found the woman's clothed body a few meters off the road in the woods, and her bicycle was also discovered.
The police suspect that she met an acquaintance, smoked a cigarette with him and he became intrusive. According to the investigation, there was no sexual abuse, but the victim's outer clothing was torn. Investigators also found the remains of a Polish brand filterless cigarette at the scene.
The media coverage of the crime has kept the case in the public's consciousness for decades. The murder case, detailed on ZDF's "Aktenzeichen XY... Unsolved", has sparked numerous tips, some of which seemed promising, but none led to the breakthrough.
Source: www.dpa.com
