Two girls are suspected of killing a 12-year-old schoolgirl who was found dead in a woodland area in western Germany at the weekend, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

In a case that has shocked Germany, police found the body of a girl, named only as Luise, near a cycle path in woodland on Sunday. Her parents had raised the alarm the previous day after she had visited a friend.

Results of the police investigation 

Investigations found that Luise had died as a result of knife wounds, prosecutor Mario Mannweiler told reporters, adding that no weapon had yet been found.

"We believe that this crime was committed by two children," said Mannweiler.

German police secures the area at the scene of a hostage situation at a pharmacy in the western German city of Karlsruhe, Germany, March 10, 2023. Police in Karlsruhe cordoned off an area in the central part of the city and urged residents to avoid the area. (credit: TILMAN BLASSHOFER / REUTERS)
German police secures the area at the scene of a hostage situation at a pharmacy in the western German city of Karlsruhe, Germany, March 10, 2023. Police in Karlsruhe cordoned off an area in the central part of the city and urged residents to avoid the area. (credit: TILMAN BLASSHOFER / REUTERS)
Because they are 12 and 13 years old, they are not subject to criminal law which in Germany only takes effect for minors from the age of 14. They are in the hands of the youth office.

Details of the case

Luise came from Freudenberg in Siegerland, according to a Tuesday report from German public broadcasting outlet Südwestrundfunk.  Initially, it was assumed that she made her way home from her friend's house in the Hohenhain suburb around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday - an approximately three-kilometer trek. The shortest way back to Freudenberg is through a forested area. But the body was not found in that area- it was found in the opposite direction.