The Rebecca Reusch Case — Berlin 2019

The Disappearance

Rebecca Reusch was an ordinary 12-year-old German-Danish girl living with her family in Lichterfelde, an affluent residential district in western Berlin. On February 18, 2019, she vanished without a trace from her home — a disappearance that would become Germany's most discussed missing person investigation in two decades.

Rebecca's parents filed a police report when their daughter failed to appear at school. Her bedroom was neatly made, with no signs of assault or burglary. It quickly became clear that the girl must have disappeared from her own bed during the night of February 18-19.

The International Investigation

German police immediately launched a massive investigation. Because Rebecca's mother was Danish, Danish police were also brought into the case. Hundreds of officers searched the area around Lichterfelde, helicopters were deployed, and the investigation extended to Denmark, where the girl had family and a summer house.

At one point, searches focused on a lake near the family's house in Denmark, where divers conducted targeted searches without results. The theory that Rebecca had been taken to Denmark was never confirmed.

Suspicion Falls on the Cousin

Within a short time, suspicion turned toward the family. Police focused on Rebecca's 27-year-old cousin, who lived in the same house. He was arrested and extensively interrogated. Police believed they had strong evidence against him, but after repeated questioning, he was released. Although he remained the primary suspect, there was insufficient legal grounds for prosecution under German criminal law.