Search operation in Preetz: Three-year-old girl missing since Wednesday

Large-scale search operation with residents

According to their own statements, investigators are examining several leads and questioning residents in the urban area. Where the girl may have gone remains unclear. The police ruled out neither an accident nor a crime and refrained on Thursday from assessments regarding the possible background of the disappearance.

The town of Preetz is located in the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, approximately 20 kilometers southeast of Kiel. The municipal area includes residential zones, green spaces, as well as adjacent fields and forests, which provide a wide-ranging area for a targeted search.

The police set up an information channel for tips from the public and asked people to refrain from conducting their own search operations for the time being, in order not to obscure evidence. Anyone who has seen the girl since Wednesday or can provide information on her whereabouts should contact the police in Preetz or the nearest station.

Tips from the public requested

Residents are watching the disappearance of the toddler with concern. Many had spontaneously joined the search after appeals had been spread via social networks and the warning app Nina. The voluntary helpers reportedly combed through streets, parks, and shoreline areas in the vicinity.

Emergency services use drones and search dogs

Meanwhile, police and fire service units continued searching with thermal imaging cameras, drones, and search dogs. Mounted units and a water rescue boat were also requested according to dpa information, in order to search bodies of water in the municipal area.

The police announced that search measures would be continued as long as there are no confirmed findings regarding the whereabouts of the girl. Tips would be accepted around the clock. Nothing is known so far about the child's state of health.