Germany Farmer finds the body of a child - is it Arian?
Helpers searched almost everywhere in the area in the hope of finding Arian, a child who had gone missing in Germany.
25.06.2024, 16:09
SDA
And then this: at the edge of a meadow, close to Arian's hometown in northern Lower Saxony, a farmer noticed the body of a child while mowing more than two months later. A hollow can be seen in the meadow.
On April 22, six-year-old Arian disappeared from his parents' house in Bremervörde-Elm between Bremerhaven and Hamburg. Investigators assume that the autistic boy ran away from home alone. A large-scale search began after the boy disappeared. He was not found for more than two months. According to the police, emergency services searched the area where the body lay several times.
Result "in the course of the week at the earliest"
It is not known whether the child's body is Arian. The police were unable to provide any conclusive information. Forensic experts are examining the body. "A result can be expected in the course of the week at the earliest", according to a police statement. The investigators believe it is likely that the body is Arian. There are no indications that he was not at fault.
A 54-year-old farmer who found the body while mowing suspects that it is Arian. This has not been confirmed. "My colleague saw something and said there was something there," the farmer told the German Press Agency. "I knew immediately that it was the boy," said the man, who, according to a dpa reporter, seemed shocked. He recognized a top that Arian is said to have been wearing. "It's all a bit much straight."
The farmer expressed surprise that the body had not been found earlier. The field had been searched by emergency services in the past, the man said. "They've been everywhere." The farmer said, "That was the first thing I said to the police: Why didn't you find him?" The grass was not particularly high in April; maybe ten centimetres, the farmer estimates.
Up to 1200 helpers searched for Arian
After Arian's disappearance, emergency services and volunteers searched for him day and night for around a week. At times, up to 1200 helpers were involved in the search. They combed through villages, meadows and forests. Drones and helicopters repeatedly flew over the rural region. Helpers set off fireworks to attract Arian. According to reports, the autistic man did not respond to any speeches. In a wooded area adjacent to the family home, the fire department hung up balloons and sweets at the parents' request. The river Oste, which flows past Elm, was drained.
In consultation with the Lower Saxony Ministry of the Interior, the police decided to stop the search. After the search ended, an investigation team continued to look into the case. The police set this up on April 29, a week after the search began. The group of five officers was initially to be active for two months. In mid-May, the police searched for Arian again for two days, after which new tips were received.
