Police resume search for missing Berlin teenager
March 18, 2019
German police resumed their search for a missing Berlin teenager on Monday, this time turning their focus to a lake in Brandenburg.
The 15-year-old girl has been missing for exactly a month now, having disappeared from the apartment of her brother-in-law and sister. Police arrested the brother-in-law and have been working under the suspicion that he killed her and disposed of her body in Brandenburg.
Hundreds of police from around Germany previously combed through a patch of forest between the Brandenburg towns of Kummersdorf and Wolzig, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Berlin but left empty handed. The brother-in-law's car was recorded driving on the nearby A12 autobahn, prompting scrutiny in the area.
Last weekend, police dogs reportedly picked up a scent on the autobahn, leading to a nearby country lane.
Read more: Massive hunt for missing Berlin girl enters third day, no body found
Specialized dogs
But after failing to find the girl, police are now focused on Wolziger See, a nearby lake.
A police boat could be seen on the lake and a connecting canal, assisted by dogs specialized in finding bodies in water. No divers were seen deployed.
The brother-in-law has defended his son, saying he was driving on those roads to pursue a drug deal in Poland, rather than disposing of the teenage girl's corpse.
The mystery has attracted considerable media attention in Germany with almost daily updates on the matter. Police have been particularly forthcoming with information on the suspect.
Editor's note: Deutsche Welle follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and urges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.