At around 9.15 pm, the police and emergency services received an emergency call that a woman had thrown herself into the Rhine. It was pitch dark outside and the water level was only slightly higher than normal. Nevertheless, such floods are deadly, even experienced swimmers cannot fight the low temperatures and the speed of the current for long. Anyone who jumps in here, untrained and in normal clothing, is aware that they most likely will not make it to shore alive. Two passers-by nevertheless managed to pull the woman out of the river about a kilometre further on, near the jetty at the Bastei. "The 46-year-old was responsive and was taken by ambulance to a clinic for further treatment," says a police spokesperson.

Nobody could have guessed what would await the rescue workers and police officers a short time later. The woman told them to check on her daughter - she should be in the flat in an apartment block on Konstantinstraße in Rüngsdorf. The emergency services found the lifeless girl there. An emergency doctor immediately began to resuscitate the child. In vain. An ambulance was able to take the six-year-old to hospital. But she eventually died there whilst being treated at the hospital.

The police did not wait long. Due to the overall circumstances, they set up a homicide squad headed by Mirko Messerschmidt, with public prosecutor Florian Geßler assisting with the ongoing investigation. During the night, evidence was secured in the flat and the crime scene sealed. The rooms were also measured and numerous photos were taken, which could provide the investigators with important details later on, as police spokesman Robert Scholten explains. For example, new clues could be gained through questioning, which would then have to be compared with the crime scene.

There are still few clues as to what exactly happened. The police are also keeping a lot to themselves so as not to jeopardise the investigation. The 46-year-old woman, who was released from hospital on Tuesday afternoon, has been provisionally arrested on suspicion of manslaughter. So far, she has not made any statements to the police. The public prosecutor's office requested pre-trial detention, and a magistrate agreed to this request on Tuesday afternoon.

"The cause of death is currently being investigated by forensic medicine," says Scholten. It is currently assumed that it was a homicide. So far, there are no indications of a third person who could have been involved in the incident. The girl's father is said to have been out of town when the crime took place.

By midday on Tuesday, the shutters of the flat had been lowered and the police and forensics had long since left. But the shock among the residents is deep. Nobody can understand what has happened. "There really was a huge turnout of firefighters, police and ambulances," says a woman from Rüngsdorf. It was terrible when the emergency services carried the lifeless child out of the house. The ambulance eventually drove off without flashing blue lights. "But we thought that didn't necessarily mean anything." The next day, the terrible news quickly spread: the girl was no longer alive.

"I'm totally devastated," says the woman from Rüngsdorf. "It's just awful," adds another neighbour. Both had seen the family in the village from time to time, they had spoken to them - just a few days ago. The mother, they said, wanted to retrain for a new job. The girl had been seen growing up, although the meetings were not regular. The only question that remains, they both say in unison: Where’s the father? He also lives in Rüngsdorf.

"You do wonder what's going on nowadays," said another visibly concerned resident. He suspects that the pressure on people in general is simply getting stronger and stronger. "And some people simply can't take it anymore."

(Original text: Ayla Jacob and Nicolas Ottersbach / Translation: Mareike Graepel)