But no arrest warrant

Big bang: daughter stabs mayoress to death

While the son was initially suspected of the crime, the mother now incriminated her daughter (17) during the interrogation.(Bild: EPA/CHRISTOPHER NEUNDORF)

It is an unexpected turn of events in a case that has moved the whole of Germany: the seriously injured mayor-elect of Herdecke, Iris Stalzer (57), has incriminated her own adopted daughter (17) during initial questioning, according to the police. Just one day after the brutal knife attack, it now seems clear that the crime took place within the immediate family circle.

Chief public prosecutor Bernd Haldorn stated that he would not apply for an arrest warrant for the teenager. There were no grounds for arrest. "From a purely legal point of view, I am assuming dangerous bodily harm", he said. The fact that the daughter had called the emergency services herself argued against a homicide. 

13 stab wounds to the mother
According to consistent reports in the German media, the politician was attacked with a total of 13 stab wounds. The kitchen knife, which is believed to be the murder weapon, was found by investigators in the children's room of her adopted son (15) - there were apparently fresh traces of blood in his rucksack. Bloodstained clothing was also discovered, which according to the investigation should belong to the adopted daughter.

Traces should be covered up
Forensics staff also discovered that attempts had apparently been made to remove larger traces of blood before the emergency call was made. However, these could be made visible again using special procedures. In addition, according to the investigators, the crime scene has now been discovered - it is in the basement of the house.

The injured woman then apparently dragged herself to the first floor, where the emergency services found her sitting in an armchair. There is currently no indication of a political background. Two knives were seized as weapons.

Woman's condition stabilizes in hospital
The SPD politician suffered serious stab wounds to her upper body in the attack, including injuries to her lungs. She also sustained massive head injuries from blunt force trauma. After a life-threatening phase, her condition stabilized in hospital. On Wednesday afternoon, police incident commander Ursula Schönberg declared that Stalzer was "no longer in mortal danger and on the road to recovery".

While the son was initially suspected of the crime, the mother now incriminated her daughter (17) during the interrogation.(Bild: EPA/CHRISTOPHER NEUNDORF)

According to the police, Iris Stalzer incriminated her 17-year-old adopted daughter as the perpetrator during an initial interrogation in hospital. The authorities are now certain that the crime took place in the politician's family home in Herdecke-Herrentisch.

Apparently not the first altercation
Both children, son (15) and daughter (17), were in the house at the time of the crime and were subsequently questioned by the police. According to Bild, there had already been arguments between mother and daughter in the summer - at that time there was also talk of a knife. There are also said to have been repeated tensions with the son.

Role of son still to be determined
Both of the local politician's adopted children lived with her in the house in Herdecke, said Jens Rautenberg, head of the homicide squad. The 15-year-old boy and the 17-year-old daughter were already known to the police, said police director Ursula Schönberg.

Neither the daughter nor the son had yet been questioned. The extent to which the boy witnessed the crime or aided and abetted it still had to be determined, explained senior public prosecutor Haldorn.