Vienna, Jan 15, (dpa/GNA) – An Austrian police officer suspected of murdering a woman, has been placed in pre-trial detention, prosecutors said on Thursday.
The Graz public prosecutor’s office said the officer, a member of an elite police unit, is suspected of killing a 34-year-old acquaintance.
Authorities said the suspect has given a partial confession, describing the death as an accident.
Preliminary autopsy results have now been received, though prosecutors declined to release details. “Further examinations are still required,” said Christian Kroschl, a spokesman for the Graz prosecutors.
The suspect has served as a police officer since 2016 and has been assigned since 2021 to Cobra, Austria’s highly regarded counter-terrorism and special operations unit.
The investigation began last week following a missing-person report. During the search for the woman, investigators honed in on the officer, who had met her on a dating platform.
Authorities said he gave contradictory statements during initial questioning before eventually leading investigators to a wooded area near his home, where the woman’s body was found buried.
GNA