A 13-year-old girl from Berlin who went missing on her way to school earlier this month was found dead in an abandoned building near the Polish border on Sunday, alongside a critically injured 22-year-old man.
The suspect, who shares a neighborhood background with the victim in Marzahn-Hellersdorf, attempted suicide as police entered the derelict property in Altglietzen, Brandenburg. Authorities confirmed he remains under armed guard on intensive care life support.
School Route Interrupted
The tragedy began on the morning of Tuesday, November 3, when the 13-year-old left her family apartment on Golliner Straße to catch bus 197 at Barnimplatz.
Security footage captured her final moments walking the short 400-meter route in dark clothing with her hood drawn, as detailed by Moordplekken.nl. Contact with a friend via text ceased just three minutes after her departure, and she never arrived at her school on Sella-Hasse-Straße.
Her disappearance triggered a massive regional search effort involving helicopters, rescue dogs, and underwater drones across Berlin’s Marzahn and Hellersdorf districts. By the weekend, over 200 police officers were conducting door-to-door inquiries. Local residents distributed flyers while her family issued public pleas on social media.
Her mother appealed to the Vietnamese community in Germany to help spread information about the disappearance, writing: Mama hopes you come home safe and sound. Mama misses you so much.
Her 17-year-old sister Linda also spoke to the media, stating: My sister is no longer replying to messages,
and emphasizing that running away was completely out of character.
Neighbors near the abandoned farmhouse reported hearing cries for help in the days leading up to the discovery, though it remains unclear why no one notified the police.
Accidental Discovery in Brandenburg
The breakthrough in the multi-day search came purely by chance. According to nl24.nu, the owner of the vacant property in Altglietzen inspected the rural site around midday on Sunday, November 8, after noticing an open door and unauthorized occupants inside. The owner immediately alerted local authorities.
Police spokespersons confirmed that investigators had no prior intelligence pointing toward the rural location. Autopsy procedures were scheduled to determine the exact cause and timing of death, while investigators probe whether the isolated property served as the primary crime scene.
According to Bild, the suspect was familiar with the area because the parents of his ex-girlfriend lived nearby, and police suspect he may have drugged the victim before bringing her there.
| Timeline Event | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Last seen leaving home | November 3, 2026 | Berlin-Marzahn |
| Discovery of body and suspect | November 8, 2026 | Altglietzen, Brandenburg |
| Autopsy and forensic review | November 9, 2026 | Berlin |
Prior Legal Scrutiny
Background checks by prosecutors revealed that the 22-year-old suspect had no prior formal criminal convictions. However, according to Vietnam.vn, judicial authorities had been reviewing his digital records since August 2025 regarding the acquisition and possession of illicit child exploitation material.
Investigators had seized roughly 900 objectionable files during a house search in March 2025, followed by additional questioned items discovered on his mobile phone. On April 28, 2026, the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office received a new case file from the Passau Public Prosecutor’s Office concerning suspected child pornography offenses.
Berlin prosecutors and the State Criminal Police Office are continuing forensic examinations at both the Brandenburg ruin and the suspect’s Berlin residence. Investigators have found no indications that the victim and the suspect knew each other prior to the incident.
