An American man is in police custody in Germany after he allegedly pushed two fellow Americanwomen down a 50-meter gorge near Neuschwanstein Castle on Wednesday, killing one of the women and injuring the other.▲Eva Liu was attacked at the Neuschwanstein Castle in GermanyThe woman who died has been identified as Eva Lui, a21-year-old from Naperville, Illinois. She died in hospital as a result of the injuries, local police said Thursday. Her traveling companion, a 22-year-old identified as Kelsey Chang, was seriously injured and is still in the hospital.
Police said the two women were visiting Neuschwanstein Castle, a popular tourist destination in Bavaria, and decided to hike near the historic Marienbrücke, or Mary’s Bridge, a common pedestrian vantage point.They allegedly met the suspect, a 30-year-old American man, in the area, state prosecutor Thomas Hörmann told reporters on Thursday. He said the unnamed man persuaded the women to follow him down a separate hiking trail for another viewpoint of the Disney-like castle.Police do not believe the two women and the man knew each other previously. Once isolated from the main trail, the man allegedly attacked Eva.▲Kelsey Chang was seriously injuredWhen Kelsey tried to intervene, he choked her and pushed her down a steep slope, they added.“The 22-year-old wanted to help, whereupon he strangled her and pushed her down the incline,” Hörmann said.The man then allegedly attempted to sexually assault Eva before pushing her down the slope as well. She fell nearly 50 meters (165 feet), ending up close to her friend.▲Eva was airlifted to the hospital where she later diedThe mountain rescue service rescued both women as shocked tourists watched on.
Kelsey was ‘responsive’ and taken to hospital, while Eva was flown by helicopter to another hospital with serious injuries and died there overnight.▲A man is led away in handcuffs following the fatal attackThe attacker allegedly fled the scene but was arrested shortly after on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and attempted sexual assault. He was found in the area around the castle during a large manhunt and was seen in handcuffs as he was escorted away by police. A witness told reporters the suspect had visible scratches on his face at the time of his arrest.He has not yet been charged but appeared in front of a Kempten District Court on Thursday.New York tourist Eric Abneri recalled hearing the helicopters whirling above the world-famous tourist attraction."We saw two or three men repelling (into the ravine) and we were confused, until I noticed the woman in blue who we thought fell."They rescued the woman. I'm unsure of who lived and the helicopter flew away, then came back for the other rescuers. Shortly after we went back to see the bridge and it was closed with a police presence."Eric, a 21-year-old recent business graduate from the University of Pittsburgh, told reporters that the man hadn't resisted when police took him away. The suspect looked like a "generic tourist" to Eric, but there was one thing of note."The only thing that stuck out to me is that he had a lot of red marks on his face and neck," Eric said. "He really looked like the victims clawed into him.""He did not say a single word. He didn't open his mouth; he didn't mumble," Eric said. "He just walked with the police and that was it."Both Eva and Kelsey had just graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) last month.The University said: ‘Our University of Illinois family is mourning the senseless death of Ms. Liu and the attack on Ms. Chang. ‘Both had just graduated in May and should have been able to celebrate such an important accomplishment without the fear of such a tragic outcome.’Neuschwanstein, in southern Bavaria and close to the Austrian border, is one of Germany’s most popular tourist attractions. The castle attracts 1.4 million visitors each year and 6,000 each day in the summer months. It is said to have been the inspiration for Disney’s ‘Cinderella’ castle.References: USNews, GlobalNews, MetroUK *The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author.* Follow Us GBA Expats: Everything you need living in Shenzhen.