Ex-convict detained, accused of abducting girl for five weeks
German police said today they rescued a 13-year-old girl and arrested an ex-convict accused of abducting and holding her captive for five weeks after they followed up a note pleading for help that the child apparently threw out of a window.
The girl vanished on January 11 on her way to school in Dresden in eastern Germany and ,despite widespread search efforts, police said they had no concrete clues until a man came to them yesterday with a white scrap of paper with “HELP, HELP” scrawled on it in bright red letters.
“We are very thankful to the person who found this note and took it seriously and immediately alerted us,” investigator Sonja Kruessel told reporters at a news conference.
The girl was reunited with her family and taken to an undisclosed location, where she was receiving psychological support, Kruessel said.
Police said she had been sexually abused during her ordeal.
The 35-year-old suspect, whose name was not immediately released, was a previous offender, said Christian Avenarius, a spokesman for prosecutors in the city.
Prosecutors have charged him with sexually assaulting a minor and kidnapping, Avenarius said.
