13-year-old found unconscious and tied up in forest – police make statement
Created: 11/25/2022, 4:48 am
By: Patrick Huljina
Girl (13) tied up with cable ties found in the forest.
The police are looking for traces in a forest in Münsterland.
© Guido Kirchner/dpa
A 13-year-old girl was found unconscious and tied up in a forest in Ostbevern in North Rhine-Westphalia on Tuesday.
The police are still investigating in all directions.
Update from November 16, 4:55 p.m
.: The 13-year-old student, who was found unconscious and handcuffed in a forest in Ostbevern on Tuesday, has been home since Tuesday evening.
The police announced on Wednesday.
The girl was previously treated in a hospital.
The 13-year-old suffered only minor injuries.
However, she couldn't remember anything.
The background is initially unclear.
The police are investigating in all directions, it said on Wednesday morning.
A sexual offense cannot be ruled out either
(see also the update from 9.30 a.m.)
.
The head of the district police authority in Warendorf, Dr.
Olaf Gericke commented on the incident: "The incident in Ostbevern affects us.
We – the police – are doing everything we can to clarify what is happening quickly.
We owe that to the girl concerned and her relatives.” He is aware that many parents are now worried about their children, especially on the way to school.
Gericke emphasizes in his statement: "We are currently and will be more present with police officers in Ostbevern in the near future.
Our special focus is on the time it takes children and young people to get to school.”
Tied up in the forest in Ostbevern: the police are investigating in all directions
Update from November 16, 9:30 a.m
.: Attentive walkers first noticed a bicycle and then a backpack on a path on Tuesday morning.
A short time later they discovered a girl (13) unconscious with her hands tied in a forest in Ostbevern next to a tree.
What exactly happened is initially unclear.
As of now, the girl can't remember anything.
Apparently, the 13-year-old was attacked on the way to school.
The police are still investigating in all directions, it said on Wednesday morning.
A sexual offense cannot be ruled out at this time.
Traces would be evaluated and witnesses questioned so that all the “pieces of the puzzle” of the case could be put together, the spokeswoman said.
Police are asking witnesses to come forward.
With a hundred, the police combed the forest in the village landscape in Münsterland for possible traces.
A police dog was also on duty.
The site was cordoned off over a large area.
Ostbevern: 13-year-old found unconscious and tied up in the forest – couple found girl
Update from November 15, 5 p.m.:
The police have now confirmed that the 13-year-old was attacked on Tuesday morning on the way to school in Ostbevern and tied with cable ties on her hands.
The girl only suffered minor injuries and, contrary to some media reports, was not tied to a tree.
The background of the case initially remained unclear.
According to the police, the girl could not remember the incident when she was first questioned.
The police searched the area around the site in a wooded area with hundreds and dogs, but found nothing, a spokeswoman said.
Now witnesses would have to be interviewed and the process would have to be put together like a puzzle.
A couple found the eighth grader, who attends a high school in Ostbevern.
According to the police spokeswoman, the couple noticed a bicycle and a backpack on the side of the road while walking in the forest strip.
Then the couple discovered the girl and informed the emergency services.
Police officers search the area where the 13-year-old was found unconscious.
© Guido Kirchner/dpa
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Ostbevern (NRW): The girl cannot remember the incident
Update from November 15, 2:15 p.m .:
After finding an unconscious 13-year-old girl in North Rhine-Westphalia, the police published further information.
According to a spokeswoman, the child was discovered by a married couple.
When walking in the forest strip in Ostbevern, passers-by noticed a bicycle lying on the ground - obviously the girl's bike.
Then the couple, who are said to be from a nearby settlement, discovered the girl and notified the emergency services.
The 13-year-old was initially taken to a hospital unconscious, later regained consciousness and was able to be questioned by the police at noon.
But she has no memory of the incident, the spokeswoman said.
Forensic scientists examine a bicycle at the spot where a 13-year-old girl was found unconscious in Ostbevern.
© David Poggemann/dpa
Ostbevern (NRW): 13-year-old girl found unconscious
First report from November 15:
Ostbevern – On Tuesday morning (November 15), a 13-year-old was found lying unconscious on the ground in Ostbevern in Münsterland.
Passers-by discovered the girl around 7.50 a.m. in a forest in the municipality in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The victim was apparently attacked on the way to school under unknown circumstances.
A police spokeswoman said the girl was taken to a hospital by ambulance.
There was initially no further information on the state of health of the 13-year-old.
She was still unconscious when she was taken away.
There is initially no evidence of rape, said the spokeswoman.
For investigative reasons, the spokeswoman did not want to provide any further information on the situation.
Ostbevern (NRW): Girls apparently tied up with cable ties
As reported by the
picture
, the girl's hands were tied with cable ties.
In addition, a bicycle was lying next to the site.
The 13-year-old was apparently torn off the bike.
The scene was cordoned off.
The police were looking for clues.
A search dog and a squad of hundreds should also help.
There is a construction site next to the site.
Workers from there would have helped with the first aid, said the spokeswoman.
(ph/dpa)
