MAINZ, Germany — The body of a kidnapped 17-year-old girl, whose captors demanded a $1.3-million ransom for her release, has been found in eastern Germany, police said Tuesday.
The teen - identified by authorities only as Anneli-Marie R. - vanished on Thursday evening while walking the family dog. Her remains were located Monday night at a local farm. Police said two suspects allegedly grabbed her and took her away in a car.
Using the the girl's own cellphone, the kidnappers spoke to her father not long after she went missing to demand a ransom payment of 1.2 million euros ($1.3 million), police confirmed during a press conference Tuesday.
When the father talked to the kidnappers on Thursday at around 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET), he heard screams in the background, apparently his daughter's last sign of life, police said.
While her mother alerted police, her father went to search for the missing girl himself in the vicinity of the family home but found nothing except her bike and the dog about one mile away.
Police began a broad search effort that, at its height, included about 1,200 officers.
The last call between a kidnapper and father was around noon local time (6 a.m. ET) on Friday, but the culprits refused to supply a proof of life.
Police described the girl's father as a well-known and respected local businessman, and said they believed money was the kidnappers' main motive. They added that the culprits may have killed the girl to cover their tracks because they apparently did not mask themselves during the abduction and would have easily been identified by their victim.
Two male suspects, a 39-year-old and a 61-year-old were arrested Monday after they were found by tracking cell phones and matching one of the suspects' DNA, which was found on the girl’s bicycle. His DNA had been entered into a national database when he was previously investigated for a sexual offense.
Police said that, during questioning, one of the suspects gave them information that led them to the location of the body.
The case made headlines across the country after local media reported the sum demanded for the girl's return.
On Sunday, police released a statement by the family asking the public for clues and directly addressing those who had abducted the girl.
“The kidnappers should know that we will fulfill the indicated demands to be able to hug our child soon. Please come forward,” the statement read.