Disappeared from psychiatric ward Fugitive perpetrator killed two women in the same Basel neighborhood in 2014

The body of a woman was found in an apartment building in Basel on Thursday. The authorities are assuming a homicide.

The victim of a homicide in Basel on Thursday is a 75-year-old local resident, according to the public prosecutor's office of the canton of Basel-Stadt. She was found dead in the afternoon in the stairwell of an apartment building in the Breite district.

The unknown perpetrators initially remained on the run after the incident, as the public prosecutor's office announced on Friday night. How the woman was killed was also unclear for the time being.

As the public prosecutor's office announced on Friday afternoon, the criminal investigation department of the Basel-Stadt public prosecutor's office has now identified a man who is urgently suspected of the crime; the public prosecutor's office has ordered a manhunt.

The man wanted is Raphael Muller, born February 24, 1992, 185 cm tall, white skin color, Central European type, medium build, medium-blond short hair, wore a beard at the time of the crime.

The suspect is currently an inpatient at the Psychiatric University Hospital in Basel. He is considered dangerous. The public prosecutor's office urgently advises people not to approach him, but to report any observations immediately.

According to the Basler Zeitung newspaper, Müller was out on the day of the murder. According to a reliable source, he was allowed to go unaccompanied from 1 pm to 5 pm.

Shortly before 2 p.m., the police were called to an operation on Nasenweg after a woman had been killed. According to the newspaper, the man must have made his way quickly and purposefully from the UPK, which is located at the other end of the city near the airport, to the crime scene on Nasenweg.

There had already been a homicide on Nasenweg around 10 years ago. According to research by the "Basler Zeitung" and "Blick" newspapers, it was the same perpetrator. The public prosecutor's office confirmed this to Keystone-SDA.

The man suffering from schizophrenia stabbed two women and seriously injured an elderly man with a knife in the same neighborhood on November 3, 2014. He was arrested at the scene of the crime. The man had been suffering from a severe mental illness for years before the first crime, but had refused inpatient treatment.

Police are looking for witnesses

The police set up a special task force to determine the exact course of events and the identity of the perpetrators. They were looking for witnesses.

Public transport was restricted until well into the evening. Lines 36 and 46 were affected and had to be diverted. Shortly after midnight, the lines were running regularly again.

Anyone who can provide relevant information is asked to contact the criminal investigation department of the public prosecutor's office on 061 267 71 11 or the nearest police station.

In addition to the police, the Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Basel-Stadt ambulance service with its emergency doctor and the professional fire department of the Basel-Stadt ambulance service were and are on duty.

This text was updated with new information after the initial publication.