Crisis situations - Police believe that Valeriia, the missing woman, has fallen victim to a crime.
Poor Valeriia from Döbeln, Saxony, has been sadly confirmed dead. The police revealed this disappointing news on a gloomy Wednesday. Her body was discovered in a secluded part of the woods on the previous day. The signs point towards a heinous crime, prompting the authorities to search for Valeriia's murderer. In a heartbreaking statement, Chemnitz Police Chief Carsten Kaempf expressed the devastation felt by the loss of a child, "It's absolutely heartbreaking."
The ongoing investigation has been focusing on the social circle of the little girl. There's no indication of sexual assault, we were told.
The lifeless body of the nine-year-old was found less than four kilometers away from her home, hidden deep in the undergrowth on Tuesday. As explained by the Criminal Police Inspection, Chemnitz's leader, Mandy Kürschner, "It wasn't an area easily accessible or highly traveled by people." If it weren't for the extensive searches, finding Valeriia's tiny body wouldn't have been possible.
An army of over 400 officers from Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt helped scour the area for the missing girl. Not only were they searching the land but also the nearby Mulde River and the neighbors' houses.
Following the deployment of special dogs, helicopters, and 'Super-Recognizers' divers, there were countless community members who organized their own search parties. All this in the 24,000-inhabitant town of Döbeln.
Valeriia had been residing with her mother in Germany since 2022 while her father resided in Ukraine. The police have been investigating every possible lead, including close contact with the dad also situated across the border.
Devastated, the mother of this beautiful child is presently receiving psychological support. "We're here to comfort and aid her in any way we can," commented Chemnitz Police Chief Kaempf. At some point during Tuesday evening, the authorities managed to speak with Valeriia's Ukrainian father after the discovering her lifeless body.
Delayed Notification from School?
The last confirmed sighting of Valeriia was on June 3rd, as she headed towards her school. But to everyone's shock, she never made it there. The girl was barely over a meter and a half, with fair hair. She remained unreported missing by the school until the afternoon, when her absence from class was finally noted. This triggered her mother to start her search. However, it wasn't until the evening that the police were informed about the missing child. The school's action, or rather negligence, is now under scrutiny, potentially leading to legal consequences per the Education and Training Office.
Ever since Wednesday, a team of school psychologists have been present at the elementary school in Döbeln, providing support to the heartbroken teachers and students via a crisis intervention. Their services, provided by the Saxon Ministry for Education and Training representative, Clemens Arndt, will continue until the following day.
The unthinkable search for Valeriia mirrored the desperate hunt for Arian, a six-year-old boy from Bremervörde-Elm in Lower Saxony, missing since April 22nd. However, Valeriia's case is hardly an isolated incident.
Far too many children under the age of 13 are reported as missing every year in Germany. Since June 1st, there have been a staggering 1,756 cases submitted to the police. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, despite how tragic they are, 99.8% of these children are eventually found.
This sad but true statistic includes instances of child abductions and so-called unaccompanied refugee children, who have fled from their housing establishments. Another category is the 'runaways' who escape from their homes for lengthy periods.
On June 1st alone, there were an astounding 1,756 children missing throughout Germany, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office. In Saxony, there currently are 86 such cases, as per the State Criminal Police Office.
