Police Search for Vehicle in Berlin Murder Case as Suspect Dies

German law enforcement authorities have issued a public appeal for information regarding a vehicle connected to the kidnapping and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Berlin, as investigators confirmed that the primary suspect has died from self-inflicted injuries. The 22-year-old man succumbed to gunshot wounds in an intensive care unit after being discovered alongside the victim's body in Brandenburg, according to police sources.

Investigators from the Berlin Police are focusing their search on a silver Citroën C5 estate car bearing Polish registration plates marked FG 85027. According to police statements, the vehicle features visible bodywork damage, silver roof rails, tinted rear windows, and black steel wheels lacking hubcaps. Authorities have requested that anyone who observed the vehicle or its occupants in Berlin or Brandenburg prior to November 8 contact the investigating officers.

The victim, identified as Lisa T., disappeared on the morning of November 3 while traveling to school in the Berlin-Marzahn district. Her body was located five days later on November 8 inside a vacant residential building in Altglietzen, a district of Bad Freienwalde. The suspect, who resided in the same neighborhood as the victim, was found severely injured at the scene; law enforcement officials noted that the two individuals were not previously acquainted.

The deceased suspect had a criminal record involving assault and traffic infractions, and was the subject of an ongoing investigation initiated in January 2025 into the procurement of child abuse material via darknet platforms. In November 2025, police in Bavaria stopped the suspect for driving with stolen license plates, during which officers discovered illicit images on his mobile device. The Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office subsequently assumed responsibility for that case due to his place of residence.

Addressing inquiries regarding why the suspect was not detained prior to the crime, the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office stated that statutory grounds for an arrest warrant had not been met at the time, citing his fixed address and the absence of prior convictions on record. Prosecutorial officials also stated that they had no knowledge of a one-year suspended sentence handed down by a court in Passau in October, as the verdict had not yet been entered into the central federal register.

Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com