Nine-year-old Ukrainian girl Valeria was found dead in a forest near the German town of Döbeln, Saxony, a few days after she went missing, Spiegel reported on June 12, citing local police.
Valeria reportedly disappeared on her way to school on June 3. The police confirmed that her body was found on June 11, some 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) away from her home in a forest between the settlements of Hermsdorf and Mahlitzsch.
The girl died as a result of "a violent crime," but the investigation found no signs of a sexual assault, Chemnitz police chief Carsten Kaempf said.
There are no detainees or suspects yet. The investigation is focused on the girl's "social circle," according to the police.
Around 100 emergency workers and volunteers were involved in the search for the child. The investigation later expanded beyond Ukraine as German authorities cooperated with Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic, Bild reported, citing the police.
After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a number of murders and attacks against Ukrainians abroad have been recorded, including in Germany.
Among the most recent cases was a knife attack on a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman by a 19-year-old Afghan in the German city of Frankfurt am Main on June 10, Bild wrote on June 11. The woman was reportedly hospitalized, and the attacker was detained.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
