Overview

• On Thursday evening, residents found a badly decomposed body beneath a bridge in Hettstedt, in Sachsen-Anhalt’s Mansfeld-Südharz district.
• Authorities have been unable to identify the victim or determine how they died because of the body’s advanced state of decay.
• A medical examiner has been enlisted to perform an autopsy as part of the effort to establish identity and cause of death.
• Mansfeld-Südharz police have collected evidence at the scene and expanded their investigative team to pursue forensic leads.
• The latest discovery follows at least four other unexplained body recoveries from regional waterways and public areas since mid-May.