Child’s kidnapping, mother's murder could be planned in advance - media

This conclusion was reached by Bild, whose reporters spoke with the neighbors of the detained couple, Ukrinform reports.

According to the publication, the suspects are German Marko O. (44) and his Russian wife Inna (43).

In their house, the police found a five-week infant Mia, the daughter of a Ukrainian refugee Marharyta (27) slain earlier.

"The couple had apparently planned to kill the Ukrainian to get her baby Mia!" the newspaper wrote.

During the recent few weeks and months, the couple had been telling neighbors and colleagues at work that Inna was about to give birth to a daughter.

The neighbor told the publication that a couple had three sons, and that Marko told her in December that in January they would have a girl, which surprised the interlocutor as the wife did not look pregnant.

The last time witnesses saw Marharyta Stetsenko and Mia was with this couple. They also had a woman with them who offered assistance to Ukrainian refugees on social media.

German police provided no detail to Ukrinform’s inquiry, offering to wait for the official results of the investigation.

As reported earlier, on March 7, 2024, the body of a Ukrainian woman was found in Gokkenheim. Police launched an investigation into the murder and disappearance of Marharyta’s child and mother.

On Wednesday evening, two persons, aged 43 and 44, were detained in the Rhine-Nekkar district.

The child, Mia, who was found in the couple’s custody was taken under government care.