An employee of the specialist youth welfare facility in Wunsiedel found the ten-year-old lifeless in a room on Tuesday morning. A forensic examination revealed signs of external interference. In media reports on Wednesday, which the authorities did not confirm, there was talk of a possible sexual offense and several underage suspects.
The police and public prosecutor’s office did not provide any information on any other persons involved in the crime. “The further evaluation of the forensic evidence, as well as the pending hearing of the eleven-year-old child, will take some time,” they explained.
The investigators’ work is far from over, said Bavaria’s Minister of the Interior, Joachim Hermann (CSU). “Now it’s time to clarify the exact background of this horrific act.” He praised the work of the special commission in these “very difficult and complex investigations”.
According to earlier information from the authorities, the majority of the children and young people accommodated in the aid center were on an organized skiing holiday during the police measures. They should return on Friday. Specially trained police forces as well as emergency pastors and psychologists take care of the residents present and the staff.
Bavaria’s Social Minister Ulrike Scharf (CSU) spoke on Thursday of a “dramatic situation” for everyone. The children come from difficult life situations to the facility, which has an “exemplary reputation”. “Now it’s important that we work through that and accompany the children on this path.” The carrier has increased the staff to support children, young people and employees.
The family policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, Leni Breymaier, called for more resources and staff for child protection facilities. “The pedagogical staff do an excellent job, but work too often at the stop,” she told the editorial network Germany (RND). In addition, the demands on the staff due to the pandemic and refugee experiences of the children and young people would tend to increase.
Martin Adam, President of the Federal Association of Private Sponsors of Free Child, Youth and Social Welfare, also emphasized that the staffing of the groups could be better. “Supervision and basic statutory services are certainly guaranteed everywhere, but individual care and personal support are often not possible,” he told the RND.
The case in Wunsiedel could also fuel the debate about reducing the age of criminal responsibility. The Union in particular had recently requested this following the alleged killing of a twelve-year-old girl in Freudenberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, by two girls of almost the same age. Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) rejected changes to the law: There are already legal means “to react to serious acts of violence by children under the age of 14”.
