German police confirm death of 9-year-old Valeria from Ukraine: murder investigation underway

German police confirm death of 9-year-old Valeria from Ukraine: murder investigation underway

Kyiv  •  UNN

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A 9-year-old Ukrainian girl, Valeria, who went missing on June 3 in Germany, was found dead in a forest near the town of Debelle.

 On Wednesday, June 12, law enforcement confirmed that the body found on Tuesday in a forest near the German city of Debelle belonged to a missing nine-year-old girl from Ukraine. This was reported by the German edition Bild, UNN reported.

"This is a sad certainty. The deceased is nine-year-old Valeria, who has gone missing. We extend our deepest condolences to her family," Police Commissioner Carsten Kaempf said on Wednesday.

According to him, "Valeria was a victim of a crime." Law enforcement is investigating the murder.

"Our investigation is currently focused on the family's social circle," said Ingrid Burghart, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office. According to her, there are no suspects and no arrests have been made so far. 

Addendum

The Ukrainian girl had been missing since June 3. Eight days later  her body was found in a forest area. According to the police, the child's body was found on Tuesday far from the forest trails, in the undergrowth in an impassable area.

Recall

The girl was last seen on Monday of last week on her way to school in Debelle, Saxony. But she never made it there. For eight days, one hundred police officers and dozens of volunteers searched for the girl.

Valeria, a native of Ukraine, has been living in Germany with her mother since 2022. Her parents are divorced and Valeria's father is a soldier fighting in eastern Ukraine.