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4 clusters · 54 sources · 29 days · First seen about 2 months ago · Last updated 26 days ago

Investigation into Preetz child drowning expands

Overview

Police launched a large-scale search on 5 August after three-year-old Bella S., an autistic girl with visual and hearing impairments, disappeared from her home in Preetz, Schleswig-Holstein. On 6 August, the child was found dead in a pool on the family’s property; an autopsy confirmed drowning and found no evidence of foul play.

Authorities have addressed why the child was not located during initial efforts. During a hearing before the state parliament's Interior and Legal Affairs Committee, officials explained that because the child reportedly left through the front door, which does not lead to the garden, the initial search focused on the surrounding area. During a night search of the pool, a firefighter entered the 80-centimeter-deep water to walk the bottom, but heavy algae caused significant turbidity, making visibility impossible. Thermal imaging cameras also failed to locate the child until she was found floating on the surface the following morning.

Chief Criminal Director Sarah Lampe of the Kiel Police Directorate addressed allegations that officers failed to notice the body during the first inspection. While a subsequent test using a doll failed to replicate the visibility of an object at the bottom, Lampe noted the pool was later systematically searched using a net. Investigators are now pursuing a new theory that the child may not have been in the pool during the initial search, suggesting she may have been hiding in the house or garden for several hours before falling into the water after the search was briefly suspended overnight.

Prosecutors continue to investigate the parents for suspected negligent homicide through failure to provide assistance, examining whether a breach of supervision or duty of care led to the death.

Entities

Preetz · Kiel Police Directorate · German police · Schleswig‑Holstein · Sarah Lampe

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Coverage disagrees

Sources make claims that cannot both be true. CLSTR reports the disagreement; it does not decide who is right.

"The garden containing the pool was not accessible from the front door." www.kreiszeitung.de · www.merkur.de

vs

"The family reported that the child left the house via the front door." www.kreiszeitung.de · www.merkur.de

The family reported the child left via the front door, but police stated the garden containing the pool was not accessible from that door.

[DISPUTED] The family reported that the child left the house via the front door. www.kreiszeitung.de · www.merkur.de
[DISPUTED] The garden containing the pool was not accessible from the front door. www.kreiszeitung.de · www.merkur.de
[● 3 SOURCES] The three-year-old girl was found dead floating in the pool on August 6. www.kreiszeitung.de · www.merkur.de · www.mopo.de
[○ 1 SOURCE] Officers and a firefighter searched the pool using a net and by walking the bottom during the night. www.mopo.de
[○ 1 SOURCE] Police could not reach the center of the pool with their 140 to 150 cm net. www.mopo.de
[○ 1 SOURCE] Strong algae turbidity prevented visibility to the bottom of the 80 cm deep pool. www.mopo.de
[○ 1 SOURCE] Authorities used a thermal imaging camera during the search. www.mopo.de

Timeline

26 days ago

[CRIME] 6 sources
Police investigate new theory in death of three-year-old in Preetz
Police in Preetz, Germany, are investigating a new theory in the death of three-year-old Bella S., suggesting the child may not have been in the family pool during the initial search efforts.
about 1 month ago

[CRIME] 4 sources
Schleswig-Holstein police explain search failures in child's drowning
Police explained to the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament why a three-year-old girl was not found in a family pool during an initial search before her body was discovered in Preetz.
about 2 months ago

[CRIME] 4 sources
Police revise timeline in death of 3‑year‑old Bella in Preetz, Germany
Police in Preetz, Germany corrected earlier statements about the disappearance and death of 3‑year‑old Bella, acknowledging search errors and an unclear time of entry into the pool where she drowned.
about 2 months ago

[CRIME] 53 sources
Bella S., 3‑year‑old from Preetz found dead in pool
Bella S., a 3‑year‑old autistic girl from Preetz, was found dead in a pool after a massive search; autopsy shows drowning, no foul play, and police admit the pool was not fully checked initially.

Sources

allgaeuer-anzeigeblatt.de · apach57.fr · autobild.at · bcfocus.com · berlin-live.de · berliner-sonntagsblatt.de · bild.de · bilder1.n-tv.de · bilder4.n-tv.de · blaulichtmyk.de · blick.ch · braunschweiger-zeitung.de · buli.rtl.de · derwesten.de · deutschlandsuchtdensuperstar.de · digitaldaily.de · fehmarn24.de · focus.de · halternerzeitung.de · harzkurier.de · hier-luebeck.de · hna.de · ikz-online.de · kobieta.onet.pl · kreiszeitung.de · kronline.at · kurierverlag.de · leinetal24.de · m.otz.de · m.thueringer-allgemeine.de · m.tlz.de · mannheim24.de · meinpolitikblog.de · merkur-online.de · merkur.de · mopo.de · nachrichten-kl.de · newsflash24.de · nrz.de · onetz.de · op-online.de · pdf.zeit.de · recklinghaeuser-zeitung.de · saarbruecker-zeitung.de · stimberg-zeitung.de · thueringen24.de · thueringer-allgemeine.de · tlz.de

This summary has been updated 3 times: see revision history