25-year-old woman from Lower Franconia murdered in Australia: After 17 years, the police arrested a friend

Created: 07/27/2022, 08:57

By: Markus Christandl

Breakthrough in the Simone Strobel case?

Police arrest suspect in Australia.

© dpa/epa/AAP/NSW POLICE via AAP |

WA (merkur.de collage)

In 2005, Simone Strobel disappeared from a campsite in Australia and was apparently murdered.

Now the police have arrested her then-boyfriend.

Perth/Würzburg –

After more than 17 years there is movement again in the murder case of Simone Strobel.

The then 25-year-old kindergarten teacher from the Würzburg area disappeared from a campsite in Lismore on a trip to Australia in 2005 and was found dead in town six days later.

On Tuesday, investigators in Perth arrested a 42-year-old man.

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Simone Strobel murder: Police arrest Tobias M. in Australia

This is the former friend of Simone Strobel, Tobias M. The man, who is now married to an Australian, was suspected shortly after Simone's death.

The police posted a video of the arrest online.

It shows Tobias M. handcuffed and led to a police car.

He was due to be transferred from Perth to Sydney today, where he is due to appear in court.

The case made headlines again two years ago, when the authorities in Australia offered a reward of up to one million Australian dollars (about 685,000 euros) for information leading to an arrest.

Video: Mysterious murder of Simone Strobel

Father of dead Simone: "We have to collect ourselves first"

The Bavarian investigators offered a reward of 10,000 euros.

In the course of the investigation, it turned out that Tobias M. and Simone had often argued violently.

A surveillance camera had recorded such an argument.

Compared to the

, Simone Strobel's father said yesterday: "We have to collect ourselves first." 

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