A corpse found in southern Germany is the body of a banker’s wife who was kidnapped more than three weeks ago, the German Press Agency dpa learned on Friday.
The body was found by a man walking his dog near the town of Heidenheim late Thursday. It was lying under a pile of branches at the edge of a forest, in an area that the police had extensively searched.
Maria Boegerl, 54, was abducted from her home and driven away in her own car on May 12. Her kidnapper demanded a 300,000—euro (367,000—dollar) ransom for her release, but never collected the money from an arranged motorway spot and was not heard from again.
The corpse was discovered near the arranged ransom spot. Police had found the woman’s mobile phone in the same area in the days after she went missing.
The woman’s car was also found, but investigators lacked further significant clues, despite an extensive search and hundreds of tips from members of the public.
