German police announced Tuesday that two schoolgirls have confessed to stabbing a 12-year-old classmate to death, in a case that shocked the country.
The victim, who was identified by her first name Louise, disappeared on Saturday afternoon after leaving a friend’s house near Freudenberg in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Louise’s body was found the next day in a wooded area near her home.
“The girl died as a result of numerous stab wounds that caused her to bleed,” Koblenz prosecutor Mario Manfeller told a news conference, adding that “there are no indications that she was subjected to any sexual abuse.” .
Florian Luker, head of the Koblenz police’s homicide department, said two girls, ages 12 and 13, had confessed to the murder.
Locker said the girls “made statements on the matter and ultimately confessed to the crime.”
Manfeller added that the girls knew the victim, Louise.
But he refused to give more details due to the age of the defendants, since the two girls are under 14 years of age, which is the minimum age at which the law in the country allows their owners to be held criminally responsible.
Manfeller added that investigators have yet to find the knife or knives used in the attack.
“This is, of course, an unusual act and very shocking even for us,” he told reporters.
Louise was supposed to be coming home from visiting her friend, but her parents reported Saturday that he had lost track of her.
Her disappearance triggered a massive search operation in which dozens of police officers participated, during which rafts, marches and police dogs were used.
Hendrik West, the regional commander for North Rhine-Westphalia, said he was “shocked” and added: “It is inconceivable or intolerable that children could commit such acts.”
Locals placed flowers and candles near the wooded area where Louise’s body was found. Police are still looking for evidence at the crime scene.
