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CRIME

Bone find reignites case of child missing for 15 years

A family in Bavaria is hoping that a gruesome discovery over the weekend will provide answers to what happened to their daughter 15 years ago.

Bone find reignites case of child missing for 15 years
Peggy K. disappeared 15 years ago. Photo: dpa
Police in Thuringia confirmed skeletal remains were found near Saalfeld, near the Bavarian border, by a mushroom hunter, leading police to claim that the body of Peggy K. has finally been found. 
 
A press release from Monday afternoon said that initial forensic investigations pointed to the “high likelihood” that the remains were those of the missing nine year old. 
 
On May 7, 2001, Peggy K. disappeared on her way home from school in Lichtenberg in Upper Franconia, Bavaria. What ensued was one of Germany's largest child abduction alerts, which was broadcast as far as Turkey, the homeland of Peggy's stepfather.
 
A cause of death has not yet been determined. 
 
“We will wait for the forensic results. They can bring certainty,” Peggy's parents told the media, adding they did not want to speculate. 
 
Police in Saalfeld told reporters that they could not exclude the possibility that the remains were those of Peggy. 
 
The initial investigation involved thousands of police officers, as well as Bundeswehr Tornados, to search the woods surrounding her home.
 
Despite more than 4,800 tips and an offered reward of 55,000 Deutsch Marks, what happened to Peggy has remained one of Germany's biggest mysteries.
 
The case led to the controversial prosecution of Ulvi K., who lived in the same town as Peggy. Despite having a reported IQ of 68, police claimed he confessed to the crime, including murdering Peggy to get rid of the evidence of sexual assault.
 
In 2004 he was sentenced to life in prison, but ten years later the verdict was overturned on appeal. Since then no further arrests have been made. 
 
Peggy's disappearance has also been the subject of books and documentaries in Germany. 
 
Bayrische Rundfunk were the first to report on Monday morning the possible connection to the missing child. 
 

BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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