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It is probably the most famous missing person case in Germany: then 15-year-old Rebecca Reusch disappeared without a trace in 2019 after spending a night with her big sister. The search for the young woman is still ongoing. Now profiler Axel Petermann is accusing Rebecca’s family. He thinks she isn’t cooperating enough.
His words are clearly directed at the family and not at the Berlin police. His main point of criticism is the photo that the family provided to investigators at the time – and which has gone around the world. It shows Rebecca, but with a filter that completely distorts her face. “Why would researchers take a different photo if they receive it for research purposes? “You don’t know that Rebecca doesn’t actually look like that,” the profiler tells RTL.
Berlin criminal scientist Christian Matzdorf also agrees with the profiler. The role of the family was central in this case and was not always optimal from different perspectives. The criticism mainly concerns the fact that the Reusch family thoroughly defends the main suspect in the case, Rebecca’s brother-in-law Florian R.*. And this despite the fact that there is a lot of evidence against him.
Googled sexual practices
Rebecca Reusch was said to have been alone with her brother-in-law at Rebecca’s sister’s house. Investigators do not believe the teen left the house alive.
During the course of the investigation, it also became known that Florian R. googled ‘strangulation practices during sexual intercourse’ shortly before Rebecca’s disappearance. When a bathrobe belt was not found during a search a short time later, the brother-in-law came further into the crosshairs of the investigators. The family explains the belt’s disappearance by saying they used it to pull a toy car and then threw it away.
Filter photos during searches
Although the police have been searching for the missing girl for five years, profiler Axel Petermann has not given up. “I always think there is a chance of a late clarification. I am optimistic.” Berlin criminal scientist Christian Matzdorf also believes in an investigation. The researchers hope to solve the case quickly and find the remains of the young people.
The fact that the police are searching for missing persons using edited images was not only criticized in the Rebecca Reusch case. Miriam H.* (then 15), missing at the time, was also first searched for with the help of a filter photo. When police released another photo of the young student, it almost looked like they were two different people. The student disappeared in June 2021 in the state of Saxony and was found safe and sound in Berlin six months later. (mgf)
*Name known
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
