Germany: Police search rural Bavaria after dead body found

Police in Bavaria were seeking a male suspect believed to have killed an elderly man found dead in the lakeside town of Herrsching am Ammersee near Munich on Saturday. 

"The investigations point to a violent crime," a police spokesman said in the early hours of Saturday as they launched a large search operation involving sniffer dogs and divers. 

Herrsching is a picturesque lakeside town on the banks of the Ammer in Bavaria, a short drive southwest of Munich. The criminal police division based in the larger nearby town of Fürstenfeldbruck was leading the investigations.

Police seeking male suspect with helicopters, dogs, divers

Police were first called to the scene late on Friday night, after the victim's wife managed to escape to a neighbor's and alert the authorities. 

Officers found the severely wounded man on arrival and emergency medics pronounced him dead at the scene, police said in a statement. 

"Prelminary investigations showed that at around 9:20 p.m. an unknown male person fled the scene on foot. Police searched in large numbers until the early hours of the morning. As well as numerous local squad cars, police helicopters, federal police cars and several canine units were deployed," police said. 

Authorities said the suspect was believed to be between 1.80 and 1.90 meters tall (roughly 5 foot 11 inches to 6 foot 2 inches). He was wearing light trousers and a dark blue hooded sweater with a red rucksack and green and yellow gloves at the time of the crime. Potential witnesses were urged to contact police if they had seen him.

In an update published on Saturday evening, investigators said "the search for the suspect continues at high intensity," but gave no indication of a capture or further lead. 

It said the number of units deployed had also widened to include divers, "who were searching relevant areas on the banks of lake Ammer for evidence." 

Around 30 officers were working on the case, police said on Saturday evening, with evidence gathering also continuing at the crime scene. 

No information on possible motive or weapon

"Currently for tactical investigative reasons, no further questions, for instance on a possible motive for the crime or the tools used to perpetrate it, can be answered," police said. 

The victim's body was taken to a facility in nearby Munich for a post-mortem, investigators said.

msh/rm (dpa) 

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