900 DNA tests sought in ’96 killing

BERLIN — German police have asked about 900 men to have their DNA tested to help solve the killing of an 11-yearold girl from the western city of Grevenbroich some 23 years ago.

The girl, Claudia Ruf, was kidnapped, raped and choked to death in 1996 in a case that shocked the country and was highly publicized at the time. Her body was found in Euskirchen, 43 miles south of Grevenbroich.

The 900 men, who were between 14 and 70 years old at the time of Claudia’s killing, have received requests for saliva swab tests to have their DNA identified. Police officers earlier this month went from home to home to hand over requests and to answer questions. They also had a stand on the church square in Grevenbroich’s Hemmerden district to inform residents about the mass DNA test.

Police said DNA traces of the perpetrator were found on the body of the girl and that they’re hoping the mass testing will lead them to the killer. Not all 900 men are suspects, police said.

While it is unlikely that the actual killer will come forward to offer DNA, investigators hope a relative may submit for testing and that those DNA results might help lead them to the perpetrator, police told residents.

The men were invited to be tested at an area elementary school this and next weekend. Police said that after the tests have been taken, all DNA data that doesn’t come up as a match in the genetic analysis will be deleted.

The Rheinische Post reported that the first men were already lining up outside the elementary school to get tested on Saturday morning.

The new push comes after investigators in 2010 unsuccessfully tested the DNA of about 350 men in the area. They say that since those tests in 2010, they have found new hints that could help them find the killer by checking the 900 men.

Police did not say whether any of the 350 men previously tested were part of the group of 900 whom they hoped to reach now, and they could not immediately be reached Saturday for clarification.

Claudia was kidnapped in May 1996 when she went for a walk with a neighbor’s dog. Her body was found two days later on a lonely path in the fields near Euskirchen. It had been doused with gasoline and burned.

Earlier this month, Claudia’s father addressed the public in a video and asked for help in solving the death of his daughter.