In the case of the killed Tabitha from Asperg, the police have the autopsy report. The mayor of the small town near Ludwigsburg is deeply affected.
The suspect says nothing. “He makes extensive use of his right to remain silent,” a police spokeswoman told Stern on Tuesday morning. There are many questions for the 35-year-old man. Because the Stuttgart public prosecutor accuses him of having killed the 17-year-old Tabitha from Asperg near Ludwigsburg (Baden-Württemberg).
The suspect is in custody. The evidence against him should therefore be weighty. The arrest warrant reads for manslaughter, according to prosecutor Aniello Ambrosio in an interview with the star. But it could be that the accusation changes to murder. “The investigation must show that.”
Autopsy report on Tabitha from Asperg expected
The autopsy report may bring some clarity. It is already available to the authorities, but they do not want to publish the first details until Tuesday afternoon. So far, little is known about what happened to Tabitha and how she was killed.
A week ago in the afternoon, the 17-year-old left her parents’ house in the town of 13,000 inhabitants at the foot of the Hohenasperg. She wanted to take the bus to go shopping in neighboring Ludwigsburg. After Tabitha failed to return home that evening, her parents reported her missing. Last Friday, the police published a manhunt including a photo of the young people: “Who saw the missing person or can provide information about their whereabouts?” (The star reported.) It is not known whether Tabitha was still alive at this time.
The suspect was arrested a day later. She doesn’t want to reveal how the police tracked him down. “For tactical reasons,” as a spokesman says. One thing is certain: the police will be searching the area at the weekend with a helicopter, drones and sniffer dogs, among other things. On Sunday morning, the officials found a body, the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” initially reported. Tabitha’s corpse, as becomes clear a little later. The site is near the Leudelsbach sewage treatment plant, writes the “Bild” newspaper, less than five kilometers from Tabitha’s home. The police didn’t say anything about it either. Investigative tactical reasons.
After the body was found, grief, horror, anger and bewilderment prevailed among the searches on social networks. The mayor of Asperg, Christian Eiberger, expresses what many think: “We are all deeply affected,” he tells Stern. “We’re not a particularly big city, so a case like this affects everyone.” According to the mayor, the residents were very worried about Tabitha and had strong hopes that she would be found alive. “Many knew her. The sad certainty now causes dismay.” His thoughts are with the victim’s family, says Eiberger, and he hopes that they will somehow come to terms with the loss at some point.
Police Ludwigsburg asks for information about BMW
But hatred and hatred are also breaking ground. Because the suspect is a Syrian citizen, xenophobic posts are piling up on social media. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel is also a target because of her migration policy. “If necessary, this will also be prosecuted,” the police in Ludwigsburg told the “T-Online” portal with a view to the comments. When asked by stern, the investigators did not want to say whether the 35-year-old suspect already had a criminal record, how long he had been in Germany and what his residence status was.
Instead, they hope for information about a gray-brown BMW 320 sedan with a Ludwigsburg license plate (LB-NA 21). The investigators secured the car from the suspect. Maybe someone noticed the car after July 12? It may have been occupied by Tabitha and a man. The police want to reconstruct the time after the girl’s disappearance in as much detail as possible.
The city festival will take place next weekend in Tabitha’s hometown, after a two-year Corona break. The city hoped for a celebratory mood. But in view of the death of the young woman with Aspergeria, it will at best be a “fixed operation with the handbrake on”, as Mayor Eiberger says. “The program is being redesigned.” For example, the ceremonial tapping of the barrel at the opening of the festival and the fireworks at the end have also been cancelled.
And the mayor and the Asperger citizens will also remain silent. “We will commemorate Tabitha with a minute’s silence,” announces the mayor, audibly concerned.
The Ludwigsburg Criminal Police Office receives information about the Tabitha case on the free telephone number (0800) 1100225.
Sources: Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office, Ludwigsburg police headquarters (1), Ludwigsburg police headquarters (2), “Stuttgarter Zeitung”, “Bild” newspaper, “T-Online”, City of Asperg, news agencies DPA and AFP
