Denmark was united like never before over the weekend as the life of a 13-year-old girl, abducted just before Saturday lunchtime in the small town of Kirkerup in western Zealand, hung in the balance.
And then on Sunday afternoon, a million+ phones pinged in unison with the news they had scarcely dared to believe: young girl had been found alive at the nearby home of a local man.
“My 27-hour nightmare is over,” wrote the mother on Facebook last night. “She is doing okay considering the circumstances. A big thank you to the whole of Denmark.”
Decisive action
The efforts of both the police and public are being hailed for their quick response, which included the deployment of multiple officers and forensic technicians, two drones, a helicopter and 20 dogs in a full sweep of the area looking for evidence.
After being alerted about the disappearance at 13:40, South Zealand & Lolland-Falster Police took decisive action in the view that her bike, bag and mobile phone were found lying in the street – a sure sign, they reasoned, that something serious had happened.
The police appealed to local people for help with the investigation, asking for any video footage that might have been taken by their vehicles in the area. In total, 600 lines of enquiry were established on Saturday thanks to the public’s efforts.
Following her safe discovery, lead investigator Rune Dahl Nilsson told media that the efforts “enabled us to go to an address where we found Filippa alive and at the same time arrested a 32-year-old man”.
Learned from previous investigation
According to Louise Dalsgaard, DR’s legal expert, South Zealand & Lolland-Falster Police has learned from experience that the first 24 hours is crucial in such cases – for example, the murder of 17-year-old Emilie Meng in 2016.
“This case could have had a different outcome if the police had not acted as they did,” she told DR.
“[In Emilie’s case] they were too slow to secure video material – so in some cases the material had actually been deleted from the people who might have had it, and therefore possible evidence was missed by the police.”
Hearing at 11:00 this morning
The 32-year-old man will appear before a constitutional hearing in Næstved at 11:00 this morning.
The police are still urging the public to come forward with any information or footage that might assist them in building a case against the suspect.
According to TV2, there have been two addresses of interest to the police – in Kirkerup and in Svenstrup near Korsør – but it has not been confirmed where the girl was discovered.
