Update on the Fabian Case: Police Find Traces That Point to Terrible Conclusions

Klein Upahl (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) - The tragic case of eight-year-old Fabian from Güstrow has touched people all over Germany. The boy, who disappeared without a trace last Friday, was found lifeless four days later in a field near Klein Upahl. Now new discoveries at the site of the discovery are causing puzzlement - traces of fire leave many questions unanswered.

Searching for clues between ashes and earth

Until Wednesday evening, numerous police forces searched the area around a small pond. They examined the ground with search rods and drones so as not to overlook even the finest clues. "We want to make sure that no clues are overlooked, " said a police spokeswoman.

The following day, the site appears quiet - almost peaceful. But the ground tells a different story: black earth, charred grass and fine soot bear witness to heat and fire. Here, where only hours earlier the investigators had secured evidence, nature itself seems to be keeping silent watch over the events.

According to information from investigators, the fire department and fire experts were still on site on Tuesday. However, it is still unclear whether the fire is directly linked to Fabian's death. Public prosecutor Harald Nowack explains: "I can't give any information on this for tactical investigative reasons."

Certainty after DNA analysis

The child's autopsy brought sad certainty: Fabian was the victim of a violent crime. The public prosecutor's office in Rostock announced that traces on the boy's body "allow the conclusion that the boy was the victim of a violent crime".

Only a DNA analysis finally confirmed the identity beyond doubt. For understandable reasons, the family had refrained from identifying the boy themselves - a step that only hints at their deep shock and despair.

A search that moved the whole of Güstrow

The police, fire department and numerous volunteers had been tirelessly searching for Fabian since Friday evening. Using sniffer dogs, drones and boats, they combed through forests, fields and bodies of water. For a short time, a trail led to a forest near Zehna, but then it was lost.

On Monday, cadaver-sniffing dogs were sent to the Inselsee - but the search there was in vain. It wasn't until Tuesday that the terrible news broke: a walker had discovered a body in a remote field near Klein Upahl, around 15 kilometers from Fabian's home. Her dog had alerted her to the location. A short time later it was clear - it was Fabian.

Still many unanswered questions

What happened in the hours after his disappearance? Why the burn marks? And who is responsible for the child's death? There are still many unanswered questions. The investigators are still working flat out to solve the case.

In Güstrow and far beyond, there is deep grief - but also hope that the truth will soon come to light. For Fabian.

We have already reported on the gruesome case:

Güstrow - It is the news that the whole of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has been trembling at. It is now certain: little Fabian L. (†8) from Güstrow died a violent death. Following the autopsy, the public prosecutor's office in Rostock confirmed that the boy was the victim of a violent crime.

Hope gave way to terrible certainty

Fabian had disappeared without a trace since Friday last week. His mother had reported him missing that evening after he had not come home as agreed. What followed was one of the biggest search operations in the region in recent years: police, firefighters and hundreds of volunteers searched for the boy for days.

Every possible area around Güstrow was combed with dogs, drones and posters. One lead briefly led to a forest near Zehna, but Fabian's trail was lost again there. On Monday, there was a glimmer of hope - and at the same time a harbinger of horror: several cadaver sniffer dogs hit the shore of the island lake. Divers searched the water for hours, but found nothing.

A terrible find

On Tuesday morning, a walker finally discovered the body of a child in a remote field near Klein Upahl, around 15 kilometers from Fabian's home . She immediately alerted the police. On the same day, the investigators cordoned off the area and began collecting evidence.

The sad certainty came only a little later: according to initial findings, it was most likely the missing eight-year-old. On Wednesday, relatives were supposed to identify the boy, but they were unable to do so. According to Harald Nowak, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office, the relatives are said to have refused to carry out the identification themselves for understandable reasons. Now a DNA test is to bring final clarity - the result is expected on Friday .

According to the authorities, traces found on the body suggest that the boy was the victim of a violent crime. The investigators do not want to publish any further details about the exact injuries or the circumstances of the death at present for reasons of investigative tactics.

One of the Internet commenters wrote:"The burn marks allow for horrifying conclusions. I don't want to think about what the poor boy went through. His life doesn't seem to have taken place in the fast lane. The thought hurts."

Was this the last time Fabian was seen here?

The bus stop on Eisenbahnstraße was repeatedly mentioned in the media. Fabian (†8) may have last been seen here, between a small kebab restaurant and a pile of leaves on the sidewalk - on the Friday he disappeared without a trace.

Snack bar owner Ahmet Bilbaj (55) remembers that afternoon well. A boy he thought was Fabian was playing in the autumn leaves outside his store, he says. "I'm not quite sure what time it was. But it was definitely still light," says Bilbaj.

He went outside and gave the boy a friendly warning for spreading the leaves on the sidewalk with his feet. A woman was sitting on the bench at the bus stop with two little girls. "I thought that was his mother. I told him to go to his mom," the man reports . It was only later that he realized that the boy obviously didn't belong to the woman.

A few minutes later, a blue bus pulled up. When Bilbaj looked out again, the boy had disappeared.

The trail disappears at the bus stop

The kebab shop is only a ten-minute walk from Fabian's home - and just a few minutes from Güstrow's central bus station. This is exactly where the police sniffer dogs were able to follow Fabian's trail. Then it got lost - right near Eisenbahnstraße.

It is not yet clear whether the boy actually boarded a bus here. But the possibility is obvious. One of the lines that stops at this bus stop travels to Zehna in just 15 minutes. Fabian's father lives there.

In fact, the police checked early on whether Fabian could have been on the bus. According to media reports, a rescue dog was even sent to a bus stop near his father's home.

Police investigating at full speed

Since the gruesome discovery, a large team of investigators has been working around the clock to solve the case. Sniffer dogs were again deployed and the site was examined down to the smallest detail. There is still no suspect, but the officers are checking all traces.

Güstrow was deeply shocked by the news of Fabian's death. Many people laid candles and stuffed animals in front of the church - signs of silent mourning and sympathy for the family.

While the investigation continues, an entire town remains united in worry and hope: that the perpetrator will be found and Fabian will face justice.