Missing Arian is dead – police are working on a search | NDR.de – News

The police in Rotenburg want to investigate why Arian’s lifeless body was only found two months after his disappearance in a field just a few kilometers from his home – in an area where emergency services had searched for the child several times. They want to reconstruct their own search operation in the area near Behrste-Estorf (Stade district), a police spokeswoman told NDR Lower Saxony. Specifically, the reports from that time are to be reviewed again.

Did Arian hide from the search parties?

The aim is to reconstruct the search in as much detail as possible, said the spokeswoman. The reports will be compared with the location where the body was found and the results of the forensic medicine. This could possibly clarify whether the child’s body was already on the meadow at the time of the search – or whether it had not been there at all. Many people in Arian’s hometown of Bremervörde-Elm and also the emergency services involved are concerned about this question, partly because the six-year-old was autistic. After the boy’s disappearance, an expert said that he might perceive the search for him differently than non-autistic people. Even during the active search, the investigators suspected that Arian might be hiding from the helpers. It is also conceivable that Arian only got there after the search on the meadow had been carried out.

Investigators deliberately withhold information

It is unclear whether and when possible results of this investigation will be made known. The reason for this is an autopsy finding: According to the police, the examination of the child’s body showed that Arian died through no fault of his own – in other words, he was not the victim of a crime. This limits the police’s duty to provide information. While in the case of violent crimes, investigators usually disclose information about the time and cause of death, this is different. The police and public prosecutors want to withhold this information – out of consideration for the relatives. “In consideration of the personal rights of the deceased child and the relatives, no information will be given about the cause of death,” the police said. This means that the public will probably never know when and how Arian died – whether he froze to death or died of thirst.

A DNA comparison brought sad certainty

Arian disappeared from his family’s house in the Elm district of Bremervörde on April 22nd. At its peak, more than 1,000 helpers from the fire service, police, armed forces and numerous aid organizations took part in the search that followed. Helicopters, drones, sniffer dogs, sonar boats, divers and an air force reconnaissance plane were also deployed. At the end of April, the police stopped the large-scale search and handed the case over to a special investigation team. On Monday afternoon, a farmer found the child’s body while mowing a meadow near Behrste. A DNA comparison confirmed that it was Arian.

Further information

A DNA comparison brought certainty. The time of death of the child from Elm in the Rotenburg district is still unclear. (June 25, 2024) more

The six-year-old from Bremervörde who has been missing since Monday is autistic. According to a therapist, this can be an advantage for him. (04/25/2024) more