Two-year-old still missing in Bingen - trail leads to nearby river

Baden-Württemberg - Two-year-old still missing in Bingen - trail leads to nearby river

The last fog of the night was still hanging in the trees when a dozen police cars with flashing blue lights drove into the municipality of Bingen at the foot of the Swabian Alb on Monday morning. A two-year-old girl has been missing from the Hitzkofen district since Sunday evening. More than 100 police officers, a helicopter and several sniffer dogs continued to try hard to find the child on Monday - but again without success. The search is to continue on Tuesday, with the help of the water police, among others. "No new findings are expected during the night", it was reported in the evening.

Trail leads to nearby river

The two-year-old is said to have left her parents' house in an unobserved moment between 4 and 5 p.m. on Sunday. This is located in the immediate vicinity of the River Lauchert. According to a police spokeswoman, police tracking dogs picked up the girl's trail, which led to the Lauchert. The normally calm river is currently in flood, according to the mayor of the municipality, Jochen Fetzer, which is located in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg. "That makes things even more dramatic." There is significantly more water in the river than usual. Like the police and other emergency services, Fetzer 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 riverbank, wooded areas and open spaces. "The atmosphere is oppressive," said Andrea Enz from Bingen. She has grandchildren of a similar age herself. The case is close to her heart and she empathizes, said the 63-year-old.

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. "That takes hours." The child's parents' house was also searched. "There is no evidence of violence," said police spokesman Christian Sugg. In a statement in the evening, the police explained that they were looking for possible new leads.

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.

Concern in Bingen

"We hope for a happy outcome," explained police spokesperson Sugg. However, the circumstances had to be kept realistically in view: Temperatures last night were below zero, he said. "As far as we know, the girl is only wearing pyjamas. These are the conditions we have, which are not particularly conducive to such a search in the event of a missing person."

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 reports that the mood in the village is sombre. The girl's parents are staying with friends outside the community. The family has only lived in the village since last year.

According to the latest information, the two-year-old is the right height for her age and has short, blonde hair and blue eyes. The Sigmaringen Criminal Investigation Department began the investigation and asked for information on the whereabouts of the missing girl.