Man arrested on suspicion of ‘drowning his mother in a well for inheritance’
Woman is thought to have been attacked before she was lowered into well
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.A 55-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of killing his mother by drowning her in a well, according to German authorities.
An autopsy carried out at the Institute for Legal Medicine of the University Hospital Münster confirmed that the death was by drowning, German newspaper Westfälische Nachrichten reports.
But it is alleged that the son attacked his 79-year-old mother before she drowned.
Police and prosecutors in Muenster said on Tuesday that the autopsy showed the woman suffered head injuries before her body was lowered into the well.
Chief prosecutor Martin Botzenhardt said the 55-year-old is alleged to have killed his mother over inheritance disputes, Westfälische Nachrichten added.
Authorities say the suspect hasn’t commented on the allegations.
Chief prosecutor Martin Botzenhardt said: “The man from Neuenkirchen is charged with drowning his mother in deep well water.”
The suspect appeared to have attacked her because she planned to sell parts of the land he hoped to inherit, Mr Botzenhardt added.
In a separate case, a farmer has gone on trial in Augsburg accused of drowning his wife in slurry last year to avoid splitting their assets in a divorce. The man’s lawyers deny the allegations.
Last year, 123 women in Germany were killed by their current or former partners.]
Additional reporting by Associated Press