Photo used by police to help search for missing girl

Oberbueren, St Gallen, Switzerland (TSR, Fre) – The remains of a girl who is likely to be identified as five-year-old Ylenia Lenhard were found Saturday in a forest near this small town in the canton of St Gallen, in an area combed by police. The discovery of her body, which had been dug up by wild animals, was made by a Zurich man who, for the past three weeks, has used his vacation time to systematically search for the missing girl. According to TSR, Swiss television, which picked up the interview from the German language Sonntags Zeitung, the man undertook the research for personal reasons and was unaware until Saturday that a SFr21,000 reward was being offered. He did not know the family but apparently wanted the child’s mother to know what happened to her. He was often accompanied during his searches by a cocker spaniel, but Saturday he was alone and had spent one and a quarter hours searching when he found the remains and promptly alerted police.

Police say the results of an autopsy will likely be made public Tuesday. Given the number of questions that remain about the girl’s abduction and likely death, authorities are looking to the autopsy to help them resolve the case. Her presumed murdered killed himself soon after the girl disappeared.

Le Matin reports that Swiss police have begun to look at rapid alert programmes in other countries for missing children.

No link has been made by officials between the case of Ylenia and missing British child Madeleine McCann, despite earlier media speculation to that effect.

• Background, GenevaLunch
• Swissinfo
• official Ylenia site (German)
• Find Madeleine official web site

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