Breakthrough in the case of kidnapped 5‑year-old Inga Gehricke

The kidnapping of 5-year-old Inga Gehricke, who vanished in 2015 and whose trace has since grown cold, is reentering the spotlight. The British newspaper "Daily Mail" has reported a fresh lead in her case. Could this mean the mystery will finally be solved?

Inga Gehricke, aged 5, disappeared in 2015 in Lower Saxony, Germany. She ventured into the forest to gather wood during a family gathering and was never seen again. At the same time, Christian Brückner, who has prior convictions for pedophilia and is the alleged kidnapper of 3-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann, was said to be in the vicinity.

Inga's disappearance sent shockwaves through the German media. Investigator Reim Klockziem defined the girl's vanishing as "inexplicable and incredible". In 2020, Profiler Axel Peterman conveyed to the Bunte service that key elements, such as a motive, crime scene, or evidence were missing from this complex case.

He also underscored that Inga’s case still remains one of the few unresolved cases in Germany after such a long time. Even the offer of a reward amounting to around 28,000 US dollars for any information on the girl's whereabouts proved unsuccessful.

According to the "Daily Mail", Martin H., who is currently incarcerated for child molestation, was also a suspect. The revelation of secret rooms with concealed windows and a childlike sex doll eerily resembling the missing Inga in his house left German officers stunned.

The issue here, however, was the police's disappearance of 1900 pages of materials pertaining to Martin H., leading to no charges being pressed against the man in relation to Inga's case.

But, in early December, a breakthrough occurred in this case. As reported by English media, trained cadaver dogs halted at a specific spot. The police now plan to scrutinize this area in search of any signs of the missing 5-year-old.