Eight and a half years ago, five-year-old Inga disappeared in Stendal seemingly without a trace – now the police are pursuing new leads in the case. Excavations on private property were completed in the afternoon, according to a spokesman for the Halle police station. A few small bones were found, explained the spokesman for the Stendal public prosecutor’s office, Thomas Kramer. Several obviously came from animals, but some are not sure whether they are of human origin. No distinctive bones such as skulls or pelvises were found, Kramer said. Forensic medical examinations followed.
Shovels and spades were used to dig on the former military site, and a mini excavator was also available. The excavations began after a tip-off, about which police spokesman Ripke did not provide any further details.
At the beginning of December, the media reported on a privately organized search with special dogs in the area, which was snowy at the time. Several dogs indicated that there could be possible human remains in an area near Uchtspringe, a district of Stendal, or that there could have been a dumping site there. The private investigation group wanted to pass on its findings to the police, the reports said.
New investigators from Halle took over the case
Five-year-old Inga from Schönebeck near Magdeburg disappeared on May 2, 2015 while visiting with her family in the remote Stendal district of Wilhelmshof – her fate remains unclear to this day. The five-year-old was last seen preparing for a barbecue. Extensive searches with technology and sniffer dogs as well as more than 1,500 emergency services had produced no results. The investigators followed up on more than 2,000 leads and clues. Ponds were pumped out, bodies of water examined and buildings searched several times. However, there was no trace of the girl.
In April, the Halle police station took over the evaluation and analysis of the current status of the investigation. The investigators should take an unbiased look at the case, which was previously at the Stendal police station. This implements a new cold case management that Saxony-Anhalt’s Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU) initiated. If investigations into homicides and missing persons remain inconclusive for a long time, uninvolved, experienced teams of investigators in Saxony-Anhalt should be brought in for a second look.
