German man arrested over girl's killing at children's home

German prosecutors on Friday said a 25-year-old man was arrested in relation to the case of the death of a 10-year-old girl at a children's care home in Wunsiedel, Bavaria.

The girl was found dead in her room at a child and youth welfare facility earlier this month. 

Investigators said the forensic examination showed that she died by force against the neck.

Examination of traces at the scene pointed to the 25-year-old suspect, prosecutors said. The man, arrested on Thursday, is suspected of homicide and a sexual offense. 

11-year-old suspect

Investigations had earlier indicated that an 11-year-old boy who was staying at the welfare center was involved in the killing. Local police and prosecutors said he was placed in a secure facility "as a preventive measure" and not arrested due to his age. 

Investigators say they are probing the alleged involvement of both the boy and the man in the crime as a high priority, with some 40 personnel part of a special commission, but Friday's announcement suggested investigators still had some gaps in their understanding. 

"In the foreground [of the investigation] are clearing up the precise course of events and a possible motive, as well as the respective involvement of the 11-year-old and the 25-year-old in the crime," police and prosecutors said in their statement on Friday.

The facility in Wunsiedel is home to around 90 children and teenagers and has about 90 employees. 

The shocking case came a month after the killing of another German girl, 12-year-old Luise, in the western town of Freudenberg. Two schoolgirls, aged 12 and 13, confessed to stabbing her.

fb/msh (AFP, dpa)