Mysterious case: Identity of a drowned boy was looking for in the Danube

Mysterious case: Identity of a drowned boy was looking for in the Danube

A sad case has been employing the investigators in Bavaria since spring 2022. A canoe driver discovered a children's body wrapped in foil in the Danube near Großmehring, not far from Ingolstadt. The young, the estimated five or six years old and about 110 cm tall, was sunk into the river with a paving stone. The police assume a violent crime, but so far there is no evidence of the young victim's identity or origin, which makes the investigation all the more difficult. Andreas Aichele, spokesman for the Ingolstadt police headquarters, emphasizes that the case is not a cold case and that the investigators are working intensively on the clarification. A global search is currently underway, also in cooperation with Interpol, which has so far remained without results.

The public interest in this case is great. Posters with a reconstructed picture of the child were distributed in train stations in Germany, with information available in different languages ​​such as German, French, Arabic and Russian. In order to force the Enlightenment, a reward of 15,000 euros for information on the identification of the child was advertised. Despite all efforts, there have been no reports about missing children who are related to the case.

hopes for new DNA methods

A promising approach to identify the child could be the biogeographic origin analysis, a procedure that is currently prohibited in Germany. This method could provide important references to the region from which the child's ancestors come. In other European countries such as the Netherlands, this type of DNA analysis has already been successfully used, for example to educate a murder case (https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/dna-analysis-wie-ein-herkunstest-bei-emittlungen-koenne.umvhhwj).

Bayern's Minister of Justice urges a change in the law to allow such analyzes. Katja Anslinger from Munich forensic medicine also supports the idea of ​​expanding the possibilities of DNA analysis. At the moment there is only permission to analyze externally visible features, while the more comprehensive method, which also evaluates the biogeographic origin, is not legally permitted. The conference of Justice Ministers could soon advise on this topic, which would continue to put on the hope for the Enlightenment.

international context and ethical concerns

In a recurring discussion within Germany and Switzerland, the focus is on legalizing an extended forensic DNA analysis. Procedure for the phenotypical prediction of appearance, hair and eye color as well as biogeographic origin could help identify unknown people. In other countries, this is already part of the investigative channels. Corresponding tests are regulated by law in the Netherlands, while in Germany the legal regulations still have to be developed, such as that [Ärzteblatt] (https://www.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/erweitsische-dna- analysis-zur-vor-von-aus-biogeographische-a2c1698b-e129-eabd5-e40bb70448) confirmed.

The discussion about the approval of such DNA analyzes also brings ethical questions. Critics warn of a possible general suspicion of certain population groups and the associated discrimination. Suggestions seem all the more important to take into account both the legal and the ethical dimension of expanded DNA analyzes. As long as the investigators are waiting for the legal new regulation, the case of the unknown child remains a sad, unsolved puzzle.

The work at this complex case not only ensures an investigation, but also raise awareness of the current challenges within forensics. A hydrological report on the flow speed of the Danube is also expected in order to better assess the conditions of the child's entry into the water. As long as this remains open, the hope for answers and justice for the tragic fate of the little boy.