Police in Germany are appealing for photos and videos taken by witnesses of an attack near Neuschwanstein castle in which an American man allegedly pushed two women down a steep slope, killing one of them.
The two victims, 21-year-old Eva Liu – who died – and 22-year-old Kelsey Chang, were both recent University of Illinois graduates, CBS News reports.
A suspect was arrested following the attack.
German news agency dpa quoted police as saying on Friday that they have so far received about a dozen submissions on a specially created website, but assume many more images were taken by tourists present at the site.
“We are looking for photographs which, by chance, show two young women and a man (approx. 30 years old) who were staying east of the Marienbruecke,” Kempten police said on their website. “These persons may have been walking together or separately.”
The Marienbruecke, or Mary’s Bridge, is a popular vantage point for photos of Neuschwanstein, the most famous of the castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century.
It attracts more than 1m tourists a year and is said to have been the inspiration for Disney’s Cinderella castle.
According to the initial police investigation, the suspect met Liu and Chang on a hiking path and lured them onto a trail that leads to a viewpoint.
“The younger of the two women was attacked by the suspect,” police spokesman Holger Stabik said.
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“The older one tried to rush to her aid, was then choked by the suspect and subsequently pushed down a slope.”
The assailant then allegedly attempted to sexually assault Liu before pushing her down the slope as well, prosecutors said.
She fell nearly 50 metres, ending up close to her friend.
Both women were recovered by mountain rescuers. Liu was flown to a hospital with serious injuries and later died.
Chang remains hospitalised, but is “responsive,” police said.
The suspect, who is yet to be identified, remains in custody on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, prosecutors said, adding it wasn’t clear how long he had been in the country.
The US Embassy in Berlin said it was aware of the incident and the consulate in Munich was in contact with authorities.
“Due to privacy considerations, we are unable to comment further at this time,” the embassy said in a statement.
