The girl was found dead in her room at a child and youth welfare facility in Wunsiedel, in Germany’s Bavaria region, on Tuesday.

Evidence collected at the crime scene “indicates the involvement of an 11-year-old boy” staying at the same facility, local police and prosecutors said in a joint statement.

“Since the 11-year-old boy is below the age of criminal responsibility, he has been placed in a secure facility as a preventive measure.”

The case comes with Germany still reeling from the killing of 12-year-old Luise, who was found dead in the western town of Freudenberg last month after suffering multiple stab wounds. Two schoolgirls, aged 12 and 13, have confessed to the murder.

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Police and prosecutors declined to give further details on the Wunsiedel case but said the boy had not yet been questioned. They added that they were coordinating closely with local youth authorities.

Bavaria’s regional interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, praised the investigators for identifying a suspect “in a relatively short amount of time”.

“What’s important now is to clarify the exact circumstances of this tragedy,” he said.

The child and youth welfare centre in the small town of Wunsiedel, home to around 90 children and teenagers, said it was “deeply shocked” by the girl’s death.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the parents, the family, our children and our colleagues,” it said in a statement.

On its website, the institute describes itself as supporting “young people and their families who need help with their upbringing”.