The twelve-year-old from Freudenberg in South Westphalia, who has been missing since Saturday evening, is dead. The female body found on Sunday afternoon was the girl sought, the Koblenz police said in the evening. For tactical reasons, no information could yet be given on the cause of death.
The body was found in a wooded area above Freudenberg-Hohenhain. Officers of the criminal investigation department had taken over the investigation on site. Further information could not be given initially, it said.
Search dogs also in use
Police and rescue workers had searched for the girl with a large contingent. The child was last seen around 17:30 p.m. when he walked home after visiting a friend. The shortest route led through a forest.
Freudenberg lies on the border with Rhineland-Palatinate and belongs to the Siegen-Wittgenstein district.
Firefighters and police forces were involved in the search. Area search dogs and "Mantrailer" dogs specialized in the search of people were also present. During the night, a helicopter with a thermal imaging camera also flew over the area. They searched through the night.
On Sunday morning, forces of a task force of the Cologne riot police were added. "We are looking for a large area with extremely strong forces," a police spokeswoman said on Sunday afternoon. The police also released a photo of the child.
There was no evidence that a family dispute had led to the girl running away, said the spokeswoman.