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police on duty
Photo: John McDoughall / AFP
The chances of finding a pregnant 39-year-old from Nuremberg who has been missing for weeks alive now seem slim.
The police have now started to search the Main-Danube Canal for traces and the woman herself.
A police spokeswoman said on Tuesday that the search operation should last until dusk.
There are three divers and a boat in use.
Investigators now suspect a violent crime behind the woman's disappearance.
The heavily pregnant woman was reported missing by her partner on December 9th.
Voluntary removal from her social environment can be ruled out with a high degree of probability, also because the woman left important documents at home, the police said.
Likewise, there are no signs of suicide or an accident.
Shore is to be searched with cadaver dogs
The police spokeswoman confirmed that the water in the canal was being searched for objects from the area surrounding the missing person, but also for the woman herself.
If the search does not yield any other clues, the bank of the canal will be combed from Thursday, also with the help of cadaver dogs.
According to BR, the investigators are also hoping for new insights from a small car that may be linked to the woman's disappearance and is said to have been on the A9 on the day of her disappearance.
fek/dpa