Peggy Knobloch: Remains of 9-year-old German girl found in woods after 15-year search
DNA tests 'unequivocally' show bones are those of missing child
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The remains of a nine-year-old girl who went missing in 2001 have been found by chance by a mushroom forager.
Police say the skull and bones found in an area of woodland between Nordhalben and Rodacherbrunn, central Germany, belong to Peggy Knobloch, a young girl who failed to return home from school 15 years ago and has never been found.
The skeletal remains were found less than 10 miles from where the girl once lived with her parents, and on Tuesday Bavarian authorities announced DNA tests “unequivocally” showed the bones were those of the missing child.
There were also items found at the scene which suggested they may have belonged to the nine-year-old.
Witnesses last saw Peggy Knobloch 50 yards from her front door, and the international search for her spanned several neighbouring countries including Turkey and the Czech Republic.
At the time it was presumed she had been kidnapped and murdered, although police will now be able to launch a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Local prosecutor Thomas Villwock told German newspaper Bild: “Obviously wild animals picked up the scent and dug up the remains. They were discovered by a mushroom-picker on Saturday. Personal items were also found that pointed towards Peggy.”
A man with learning difficulties was wrongly jailed for Peggy Knobloch’s murder in 2004, and had his conviction overturned 10 years later.
It was revealed he had been questioned up to 40 times without a lawyer present and only confessed to the crimes under duress, spending his imprisonment in a psychiatric hospital.
Peggy's case has been compared to that of Madeleine McCann, the British three-year-old who went missing in an Algarve resort in 2007.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments