Case name: The girl in the River Main
Case code: 2024-DE08
The case
At about 14:50 on 31 July 2001, several witnesses noticed a bundle floating in the River Main in the Nied district of Frankfurt.
The bundle was wrapped in a brown leopard print bedspread, tied with 5 cm-wide traditional, braided drawstring belts often found in Pakistan and Afghanistan, known as a “nalas”.
Inside was a terry cloth bed sheet containing the body. Her legs were folded against her chest, and her arms were tightly placed against her body. The entire bundle was tied to a parasol stand, likely to serve as a weight to cause it to sink.
The identification
In 2026, German authorities announced that the ‘The girl in the River Main’ had been identified as ‘Diana S’. Her identity had remained a mystery for nearly 25 years.
A significant breakthrough came when the case was added to the Identify Me public appeal in October 2024. Several tips from members of the public led investigators to pursue new leads, ultimately resulting in the arrest of a suspect.
The arrest was carried out on 12 May 2026 by the Hessian State Criminal Police Office, acting on the initiative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt am Main. The suspect, a 67-year-old German citizen, and the victim’s father, has been placed in pre-trial detention on suspicion of murder. Investigations remain ongoing and further details cannot be disclosed at this stage.
This marks the second arrest linked to a case featured in the Identify Me campaign.
Ongoing investigation
If you have any information regarding this case, you can contact the German authorities via the form below.
You can also contact them and view this case on their national police website.
If you have any information regarding the possible identity of this person, please contact the national police.