Learn more

A nine-year-old girl who vanished on her way to school in eastern Germany last week has been found dead in a wooded area following a massive search effort. Police said the girl, Valeriia, was the victim of a crime and that the absolute focus is now on identifying the perpetrator. The loss of a child is heartbreaking, said Carsten Kaempf, the chief of police in the nearby city of Chemnitz. Valeriia is Ukrainian and moved to Germany with her mother in 2022. They settled in the town of Döbeln, about 40 kilometres north-east of Chemnitz. The girls father reportedly has remained in Ukraine, an