Dead Toddler Found – Third-Party Negligence Ruled Out

Police found a dead toddler this morning in a garden in Preetz, near Kiel. The child is believed to be the three-year-old girl who has been missing since yesterday at noon. “The circumstances surrounding the discovery, the location where she was found, and the overall situation strongly suggest that this is the girl in question,” said police spokeswoman Stephanie Lage at a press conference in Kiel. She noted that the body was found on a property on the same street as her home address.

At this stage of the investigation, she said, third-party involvement has been ruled out. Nor is a criminal offense currently being assumed. The police have launched a death investigation. “All the circumstances are being pieced together,” Lage explained. An autopsy will also be performed on the body that was found—in part to confirm with certainty that it is the missing girl. The autopsy results are currently expected by Friday.

Major Search Operation

The missing girl is a three-year-old child with autism, the spokeswoman explained. She also has visual and hearing impairments. Her parents reported her missing yesterday at noon. Numerous police officers, firefighters, and local residents searched for the child until early Thursday morning, but to no avail. A helicopter and drones also assisted in the search.

At 7 a.m., emergency responders from the Kiel Police Department and the riot police from Eutin resumed the search. Around 9:30 a.m., they found the child’s body. The police did not disclose the exact number of personnel deployed. In addition to the available personnel from the Kiel Police Department, however, the volunteer fire departments from Preetz and Klausdorf, as well as the police K-9 unit from Eutin, were also involved.

What is autism?

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. People with autism have difficulty in social situations and with communication because, according to the Federal Association for the Support of People with Autism, they find it hard to interpret and evaluate social and emotional cues and have trouble sending such cues appropriately themselves.

According to the association, signs of early-childhood autism often appear before the age of three. Affected children, for example, avoid physical contact or eye contact. At the same time, they are often reliable, honest, and direct, and have special talents in certain areas.

Citing studies conducted in Europe, Canada, and the United States, the association estimates that early-childhood autism affects between 1.3 and 2.2 people per 1,000. If all autism spectrum disorders are taken into account, this means that approximately 6 to 7 out of every 1,000 people are affected.

Memories of Arian

The search brought back memories of the case of six-year-old Arian from Bremervörde (Lower Saxony), who disappeared from his home in April 2024. At times, up to 1,200 volunteers were involved—they combed through villages, meadows, and forests, and even searched a river. Rescue teams also searched for the boy using dogs, horses, helicopters, drones, wildlife cameras, a Tornado aircraft, boats, and diving equipment.

Arian's case also ended tragically. Two months later, in June, a farmer found the child's body while mowing a meadow in Estorf in the district of Stade. There was no evidence of foul play.

Tens of Thousands of Children and Adolescents Reported Missing in 2025

According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, 108,900 children and adolescents were reported missing nationwide last year. “Nearly 98 percent of those reported missing return safely to their social circles,” the agency stated in May on the occasion of International Missing Children’s Day.