A fun-filled day at the famous fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein turned into a nightmare for two American tourists. A 30-year-old US national allegedly sexually assaulted and threw them off a bridge into a deep ravine, leaving one dead and the other in critical condition.
The tourists, aged 21 and 22, fell 165ft down a ravine near the castle of Neuschwanstein, near the Austrian border. Bavarian police said the attacker was a 30-year-old US national who fled but was arrested after the incident on Wednesday.
“The crime happened on Wednesday around 2.40 pm,” Chief Public Prosecutor Thomas Hörmann told German tabloid Bild. “The two tourists met the man on a hiking tour east of the Marienbrücke.”
Marienbrücke, a pedestrian bridge with sweeping views of the castle, sits above a high river gorge. “The man then steered the two under a pretext to a trail that was difficult to see, which leads to a viewpoint,” Bavarian police said in a statement.
Once out of sight, the assailant reportedly tried to attack the women, going after the younger woman first, prompting the 22-year-old to try and defend her, police said.
“The younger of the two women was attacked by the suspect,” police spokesman Holger Stabik told the Associated Press. “The older one tried to rush to her aid, was then choked by the suspect and subsequently pushed down a slope.”
After that, the man made an “attempted sexual offense” on the 21-year-old and pushed her over the ledge as well, according to DW reports.
Specially trained members of the Alpine Task Force were involved in the attempted rescue of both women, but unfortunately, one of them died overnight at a nearby hospital following the alleged attacks.
The suspect was caught after a massive police operation involving 25 emergency vehicles on Wednesday afternoon and taken to a police station in nearby Fuessen. Bystander video posted online showed police leading away a handcuffed, bearded man in a T-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap.
Witness Eric Abneri, a recent business graduate from the University of Pittsburgh who shot the video, said the man appeared to have scratches across his face. “He did not say a single word. He didn’t open his mouth; he didn’t mumble. He just walked with the police and that was it.”
The American suspect is now in a German correctional facility, and officials are investigating the attack as a potential sexual offense, murder, and attempted murder. “The allegation is not yet established,” prosecutor Thomas Hörmann told DW.
Kempten criminal police are leading the investigation, and are asking those with knowledge of the incident to get in contact with them.
This horrific incident serves as a reminder that even the most picturesque locations can be dangerous. We hope the surviving victim recovers quickly and that justice is served for the victim who tragically lost her life.
References
- https://www.thedailybeast.com/american-arrested-after-fatal-attack-near-neuschwanstein-castle-in-germany
- https://www.dw.com/en/germany-woman-dies-after-attack-near-neuschwanstein-castle/a-65922799
- https://www.polizei.bayern.de/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/050472/index.html
- https://apnews.com/article/germany-women-attacked-neuschwanstein-castle-5e8fc50d1aa17d81d6cd4b346a933850
- https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/germany
