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An American is arrested over the death of a U.S. tourist at a German castle

The Associated Press

Authorities say a tourist has died after a man attacked her and a companion near Neuschwanstein castle in southern Germany. The incident near the popular tourist attraction close to the Austrian border happened Wednesday afternoon. Frank Rumpenhorst/AP hide caption

Authorities say a tourist has died after a man attacked her and a companion near Neuschwanstein castle in southern Germany. The incident near the popular tourist attraction close to the Austrian border happened Wednesday afternoon.

BERLIN — Police in southern Germany are appealing for photos and videos taken by witnesses of an attack near Neuschwanstein castle in which an American man allegedly pushed two women down a steep slope, killing one of them. A suspect was arrested following the attack.

German news agency dpa quoted police as saying Friday that they have so far received about a dozen submissions on a specially created website , but assume many more images were taken by tourists present at the site.

"We are looking for photographs which, by chance, show two young women and a man (approx. 30 years old) who were staying east of the Marienbruecke," Kempten police said on their website. "These persons may have been walking together or separately."

In this image taken from video, a suspect is taken away by two police officers near Neuschwanstein castle in Schwangau, southern Germany on Thursday. An American man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting two U.S. tourists near the castle and then pushing them down a steep slope. Eric Abneri/AP hide caption

In this image taken from video, a suspect is taken away by two police officers near Neuschwanstein castle in Schwangau, southern Germany on Thursday. An American man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting two U.S. tourists near the castle and then pushing them down a steep slope.

The Marienbruecke, or Mary's Bridge, is a popular vantage point for photos of Neuschwanstein, the most famous of the castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century.

According to the initial police investigation, the suspect met the two female tourists, Americans aged 21 and 22, on a hiking path and lured them onto a trail that leads to a viewpoint.

"The younger of the two women was attacked by the suspect," police spokesman Holger Stabik said. "The older one tried to rush to her aid, was then choked by the suspect and subsequently pushed down a slope."

The assailant then appears to have attempted to sexually assault the 21-year-old before pushing her down the slope as well, prosecutors said. She fell nearly 50 meters (165 feet), ending up close to her friend.

Both women were recovered by mountain rescuers. The 21-year-old was flown to a hospital with serious injuries and later died. The 22-year-old remains hospitalized, but is "responsive," police said.

Authorities haven't named either of the victims or given any further details.

People watch the Neuschwanstein castle, in Schwangau, Germany, Thursday, June 15, 2023. Frank Rumpenhorst/AP hide caption

People watch the Neuschwanstein castle, in Schwangau, Germany, Thursday, June 15, 2023.

The suspect, who likewise was not identified, remains in custody on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, prosecutors said, adding it wasn't clear how long he had been in the country.

The U.S. Embassy in Berlin said it was aware of the incident and the consulate in Munich was in contact with authorities.

"Due to privacy considerations, we are unable to comment further at this time," the embassy said in a statement.

• neuschwanstein

US tourist killed after man pushed her off steep slope at popular castle in Germany, police say

BERLIN — An American man has been arrested over the death of one U.S. tourist and an assault on another near Neuschwanstein castle in southern Germany after he allegedly pushed the two women down a steep slope, authorities said Thursday.

The incident near the popular tourist attraction happened on Wednesday afternoon near the Marienbruecke, a bridge over a gorge close to the castle that offers a famous view of Neuschwanstein.

The 30-year-old man met the two female tourists, ages 21 and 22, on a hiking path and lured them onto a trail that leads to a viewpoint, police said in a statement.

"The younger of the two women was attacked by the suspect," said police spokesman Holger Stabik. "The older one tried to rush to her aid, was then choked by the suspect and subsequently pushed down a slope. "

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The assailant then appears to have attempted to sexually assault the 21-year-old before pushing her down the slope as well. She fell nearly 50 meters (165 feet), ending up close to her friend.

A mountain rescue team reached both women. The 22-year-old was "responsive" and taken to a hospital, police said; a helicopter carried the 21-year-old with serious injuries to a different hospital, and she died there overnight.The suspect left the scene but was quickly arrested nearby. Bystander video posted online showed police leading away a handcuffed man in a T-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap.

Eric Abneri, a recent business graduate from the University of Pittsburgh who took the video, said the man appeared to have scratches across his face.

"He did not say a single word. He didn't open his mouth; he didn't mumble," Abneri told The Associated Press. "He just walked with the police and that was it."

Abneri said he and friends reached the scenic overlook as a helicopter arrived and they saw rescuers lower themselves down to the victims.

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"I'm honestly absolutely stunned someone is still alive from this. It is like falling from the top of an absolute cliff," he said.

Abneri described it as "a very, very difficult rescue because of those cliffs and because the helicopter came mere feet above the tree line at the top of the hill."

"They did an unbelievable job," he said.

Police said the man they arrested was American and described him as also a tourist; prosecutors said the women were fellow U.S. citizens. The 22-year-old remained hospitalized Thursday, according to prosecutors.

Authorities didn't identify either the suspect or the victims or give any further details.

Police said a judge in nearby Kempten on Thursday ordered the suspect held pending a potential indictment — a process that can take months — and he was taken to jail. He is under investigation on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and a sexual offense.

Police said they and prosecutors were focusing on trying to reconstruct exactly what happened and called for any witnesses to come forward.

Neuschwanstein, located in southern Bavaria close to Austria's border, is one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions.

It is the most famous of the castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century. Construction started in 1869 but was never completed. Ludwig died in 1886.

American tourist killed, another injured in attack near Germany's Neuschwanstein castle, police say

Neuschwanstein was the inspiration for the castle in Disney's "Sleeping Beauty."

BERLIN and LONDON -- An American tourist was killed and another was injured when they were attacked by an American man they met near the famous Neuschwanstein castle in southern Germany, authorities said Thursday.

The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon in the German state of Bavaria near the Marienbruecke, a pedestrian bridge popular for its stunning view of Neuschwanstein. Nestled on the edge of the Bavarian Alps, the 19th-century palace was the inspiration for the castle in Disney's "Sleeping Beauty." Two women, ages 21 and 22, met a 30-year-old man on a hiking trail east of the bridge who then lured them onto a path that led to a viewpoint, according to a statement from the Bavarian State Police.

MORE: 2 Americans found dead in hotel room in Baja California Sur, Mexico: Police

The man then "physically attacked" the younger woman, police said. When the other woman tried to intervene, the man choked her and pushed her down a steep slope. He then apparently attempted to sexually assault the 21-year-old before also pushing her down the slope. Both women fell nearly 50 meters (165 feet), according to police.

A mountain rescue service from the nearby town of Fuessen rescued both women. The 22-year-old was injured but responsive and taken to a hospital. The 21-year-old suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital, where she died overnight, police said.

The suspect had left the scene but was arrested close by soon after, according to police.

MORE: 5 dead, plus unborn child, in shooting at Jehovah's Witness hall in Germany: Police

Although the names of the suspect and the victims have not yet been released, a Bavarian State Police spokesperson confirmed to ABC News that all three were American tourists.

The suspect appeared before a judge in the nearby town of Kempten on Thursday and was ordered to be held in jail pending a potential indictment. He is under investigation on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and sexual offense, according to police.

Police have called for any witnesses to come forward as they continue to investigate the alleged attack.

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American woman who was pushed into a ravine near Neuschwanstein castle is out of the hospital

BERLIN — Police in southern Germany said Monday that an American tourist who was pushed into a ravine during  an attack near Neuschwanstein castle  in which her 21-year-old friend was killed has been released from the hospital.

The 22-year-old woman had tried to stop a 30-year-old Michigan man from allegedly assaulting her friend after luring them onto a trail leading to a viewpoint overlooking the famous castle, which draws more than a million tourists every year.

The 22-year-old fell nearly 165 feet down a steep slope but was able to leave the hospital Friday, police spokesperson Holger Stabik said.

Both women were recovered by mountain rescuers shortly after the attack Wednesday, but the younger victim later died of her injuries in the hospital.

The suspect, whose name like those of the victims wasn’t released due to German privacy rules, was arrested shortly after the incident. He is being held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and attempted sexual assault.

Stabik said police have received about two dozen photos and videos on  a specially created website  and are appealing for anyone with additional images of the suspect and victims to come forward.

Prosecutors said the women did not know the man until the incident.

A spokesperson for the prosecutors’ office in Kempten, Thomas Hörmann, said the investigation into the incident is continuing but it may be three or four months before authorities decide on an indictment.

The Associated Press

Watch CBS News

American woman injured in fatal attack on fellow American tourist near German castle released from hospital

By Haley Ott , Brian Dakss

June 20, 2023 / 4:33 AM EDT / CBS News

Police in Germany said Monday that a 22-year-old American injured in an attack Thursday near a castle in Germany that led to the death of her 21-year-old American friend has been released from a hospital.

Police spokesperson Holger Stabik said the was able to leave the hospital on Friday, according to The Associated Press.

The woman was hurt when she and her friend were assaulted, allegedly by another American tourist.

Police in the southeast German state of Bavaria confirmed to CBS News that a U.S. national was arrested in connection with the incident, and Stefan Rinke, the mayor of Schwangau, in Bavaria, told local media that all three people involved were American.

Their names haven't been released due to German privacy laws.

The women were hiking near Neuschwanstein Castle, which inspired the castle in Disney's movie "Cinderella" and attracts more than a million tourists a year, when they met a 30-year-old man who told them to follow him down a trail leading to a secret viewpoint.

When the two women followed him, the suspect attacked the 21-year-old victim, Stabik said. Her friend tried to intervene and the man choked her and pushed her down a steep slope. He then attempted to sexually assault the 21-year-old, Stabik said, before pushing her down the slope as well.

Both women fell approximately 165 feet.

Rescue workers found the two women and the 21-year-old was flown by helicopter to a hospital, where she died of her injuries. Stabik told CBS News on Friday that the 22-year-old woman suffered minor injuries.

"The perpetrator at first moved away from the scene of the crime after the assault," Stabik told journalists on Thursday. "Whether this was a classic escape or not is not entirely known. In any case, he was then arrested a short time later by police officers on the basis of a witness tip in the immediate vicinity of the crime."

Stabik said police have received about two dozen photos and videos on a specially created website, adding that investigators are asking anyone who has more video or images of the suspect and victims to provide them to police.

Eric Abneri was visiting Neuschwanstein Castle from New York and captured video on his phone of the suspect being led away by police.

"His face was covered in deep red scratch marks and his neck as well," Abneri told CBS News on Thursday. "There was clearly a struggle there, and he just had a frown on his face. He didn't say anything. He had a sort of disturbed look."

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Berlin told CBS News on Thursday that it was "aware of an incident involving multiple individuals" but declined to provide further information citing "privacy considerations."   

The official said the embassy was communicating with German authorities on the matter.

A spokesperson for prosecutors told the AP it might take as long as four months for them to decide whether to indict the suspect.

CBS News' Anna Noryskiewicz in Berlin and Emmet Lyons in London contributed to this report.

Haley Ott is the CBS News Digital international reporter, based in the CBS News London bureau.

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American Woman Dies at Neuschwanstein Castle After Push Down Cliff

The woman, 21, was visiting the popular German site with a friend when they met a man who persuaded them to take a little-used trail and then assaulted them both, the police said.

By Christopher F. Schuetze

Reporting from Berlin

One American woman was killed and another was injured on Wednesday when a man pushed them down a cliff near Neuschwanstein Castle, the popular German tourist site at the foot of the Alps, the local police said.

The police in Bavaria — the state containing the castle, which is said to have been the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland in California — said they had arrested a 30-year-old American suspect after a manhunt that included a helicopter and search dogs. They appealed for any witnesses who may have seen or filmed the deadly episode, in which the man was also said to have tried to sexually assault one of the women.

“It’s a very rare and noteworthy thing to happen there,” said Holger Stabik, a police spokesman. “We very rarely have any crime there at all.”

The police did not release the victims’ or the suspect’s names or home states.

The two women, friends age 21 and 22, were visiting the site as tourists, the police said in a statement . On Wednesday, the women were near the castle when they met an American man, who persuaded them to join him on a little-used unofficial hiking trail that led into a forest and toward the picturesque cliffs surrounding the castle, the police said.

Once out of view of the busy official path, they said, he attacked the 21-year-old. When the 22-year-old tried to intervene, the man pushed her down the steep cliff, according to the police, before trying to sexually assault the 21-year-old and then pushing her down the cliff as well.

Both women plunged about 150 feet and, shortly afterward, were rescued by the local mountain patrol and flown by emergency airlift to a hospital, according to the police. But the 21-year-old woman died from her injuries that night.

The 22-year-old was in stable condition and was able to speak with investigators, according to the police.

Neuschwanstein Castle, near the Austrian border about 50 miles southwest of Munich, is one of Germany’s most popular tourist destinations. The castle, built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the second half of the 19th century, attracts about 1.4 million visitors each year.

Eric Abneri, 21, a New York native, said in an interview that he had been visiting the castle with a couple of friends during a tour of Europe on Wednesday. When he saw a helicopter trying to rescue the two women, he and his friends believed there had been an ordinary hiking accident. But he soon came across the police search and watched as officers led a man away, a scene that he filmed and then posted on Twitter.

Mr. Abneri said that the man had not resisted when being taken away by the police, and that the man had the look of a “generic tourist.”

“The only thing that stuck out to me is that he had a lot of red marks on his face and neck,” Mr. Abneri said in the interview, adding, “He really looked like the victims clawed into him.”

An earlier version of this article misidentified the building that Disney is said to have modeled on Neuschwanstein Castle. It is Sleeping Beauty’s castle, not Snow White’s.

How we handle corrections

Christopher F. Schuetze covers German news, society and occasionally arts from the Berlin bureau. Before moving to Germany, he lived in the Netherlands, where he covered everything from tulips to sea-level rise. More about Christopher F. Schuetze

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American victims in deadly tourist attack by German castle identified as recent Illinois university graduates

Eva liu, 21, and kelsey chang, 22, had travelled to germany following their may graduation, article bookmarked.

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Two American women who were attacked while they hiked a trail near a famous castle in Germany have been identified.

Eva Liu, 21, and Kelsey Chang, 22, had travelled to Germany following their May graduation from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, DailyMail.com first reported.

A university spokesperson confirmed in a statement to The Independent that Ms Chang and Liu were shoved down into a ravine near the historic Neuschwanstein Castle in the German state of Bavaria on Wednesday . Liu died as a result of injuries she sustained during the 164ft fall, while Ms Chang remains in hospital.

Bavarian police said in a statement on Thursday that the victims joined a man along a trail just moments before the attack. He reportedly tried to sexually assault them before pushing them down a steep gorge. A 30-year-old American man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and sexual offences.

“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,” the office of the university chancellor said. “Our thoughts are with Ms. Chang as she recovers and with both of their families as they grieve.”

Just weeks before the tragedy, Liu was awarded a computer science degree, while Ms Chang received a bachelor’s in computer engineering.

Liu had landed a role as a software engineer at Microsoft after finishing an internship with the company during her last semester, she wrote in a LinkedIn post.

On Wednesday afternoon, the two women were on a hiking trail east of the Marienbrücke Bridge, an attraction just an hour’s drive from Munich that is popular among visitors for its sweeping views of Neuschwanstein Castle. They met a man and joined him on the hike, police said.

“The man then steered the two under a pretext to a trail that was difficult to see, which leads to a viewpoint,” Bavarian police said in a statement . “According to the current state of knowledge, an attempted sexual offence to the detriment of the 21-year-old must be assumed.”

Once out of sight, the 30-year-old assailant reportedly tried to attack Liu, prompting Ms Chang to try and defend her, police said.

“The younger of the two women was attacked by the suspect,” police spokesman Holger Stabik told the AP . “The older one tried to rush to her aid, was then choked by the suspect and subsequently pushed down a slope.”

Both women were shoved down 164 feet into a ravine. Liu was airlifted to a hospital in serious condition and died on Thursday night.

Ms Chang suffered bruises and lacerations to her head but much of the impact was blunted by a tree, according to the Mail.

She was transported to a hospital and was still recovering as of Friday morning.

Bavarian police said the attacker was a 30-year-old US national, DW reports . Bystander video posted online showed police leading away a handcuffed, bearded man in a T-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap.

The victims and their alleged attacker had reportedly stayed at the budget Seibel Hotel in Munich, staff told the Mail .

The suspect appeared before a judge at the Kempten District Court, but did not comment on a motive behind the attack.

Following protocol, German authorities will not release the name of the suspect in the early stages of the investigation.

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Man arrested in killing of U.S. tourist on cliff near German castle

The 30-year-old is in custody after allegedly pushing two female tourists off a cliff near Neuschwanstein Castle

German police arrested a 30-year-old U.S. man in the killing and attempted sexual assault of an American tourist last week near Neuschwanstein Castle , a popular tourist attraction in Bavaria.

Police said he pushed two women down a 150-foot drop close to the edge of a pedestrian bridge that overlooks the castle in southern Germany outside the village of Schwangau.

A 21-year-old woman died in the hospital after the Füssen mountain rescue service retrieved her with a helicopter, police said . Her 22-year-old friend, whom police said the suspect choked when she intervened in the attack, survived the fall. The man and both women are U.S. citizens, the Associated Press reported . Their identities were not released by officials.

This week, family members and a church leader identified the victims as recent graduates of the University of Illinois. Eva Liu, 21, died in the incident, according to the Rev. Mark Zhang of Living Water Evangelical Church in Naperville, Ill. The family attended the church and Liu’s parents told him that she had been killed, the AP reported . Kelsey Chang, 22, of Normal, Ill., survived the attack and was reportedly on a flight back to the United States on Tuesday. The suspect is from Michigan, according to the AP and ABC 7 Chicago .

According to police, the three tourists met on a hiking trail east of the Marienbrücke bridge in the German Alps, and the man lured the two women to a trail out of public view. Police suspect he attempted a sexual attack on the 21-year-old, and he choked and pushed the 22-year-old when she tried to intervene.

At Neuschwanstein, there was a rescue of multiple people from a helicopter and one was taken out in handcuffs, seemingly after they fell from a cliff and climbed over railings. pic.twitter.com/yVGqqSRlwX — Eric Abneri (@thefrownyface) June 14, 2023

The man was arrested near the scene shortly after authorities launched a search upon receiving a complaint around 2:40 p.m. June 14. The suspect appeared in Kempten District Court the following day and was taken to a correctional facility, police say.

Another visitor, Eric Abneri, who captured video of the arrest, told the Associated Press that the man appeared to have scratches on his face. Abneri and his friends also saw the rescue.

“I’m honestly absolutely stunned someone is still alive from this,” Abneri told the AP. “It is like falling from the top of an absolute cliff.”

Bavarian king Ludwig II ordered the construction of the Neuschwanstein Castle in the 19th century. It is one of the most visited castles in Europe .

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Tourist sexually assaulted then shoved to death near german castle id’d as recent grad.

A young tourist who was sexually assaulted then fatally thrown into a ravine near a world-famous “Cinderella”-style castle in Germany was identified Friday as a 21-year-old recent University of Illinois graduate, authorities said Friday.

Eva Liu, of Naperville, Ill., was killed while visiting the Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau Wednesday afternoon, when a 30-year-old man pushed her off the 165-foot gorge in a stunning attack, police and school officials said.

Liu had traveled to the castle — a tourist hotspot believed to have inspired the palace in Disney’s “Cinderella” movie — with classmate Kelsey Chang, 22, who was also thrown off the cliff by the assailant but survived, the officials said.

“Our University of Illinois family is mourning the senseless death of Ms. Liu and the attack on Ms. Chang,” associate chancellor of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Robin Kaler told the UK Mirror .

“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.”

The unidentified American suspect — who was reportedly staying at the same hotel as the college grads — was arrested Wednesday after allegedly luring the women to a trail that led to an overlook, then “physically attacking” Liu, police said.

When Chang tried to help, he allegedly choked her and pushed her off the side of the steep cliff, where a tree broke her fall, according to authorities.

He allegedly then tried to sexually assault Liu before fatally shoving her into the gorge, where she suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital.

She was pronounced dead the following day. 

Chang only suffered minor injuries from the long fall, police told the Daily Mail Friday . Footage appears to show her hanging onto a fallen tree partway down steep slope.

The young women had been staying at the same hotel as the attacker, The Seibel in Munich, but didn’t know him, the outlet reported.

Chang was recovering in the hospital Friday, according to German media reports.

“The two tourists happened to meet the man on a hiking tour east of the Marienbrücke and joined him,” Chief Public Prosecutor Thomas Hörmann told the German newspaper, Bild .

The suspect was held on murder, attempted murder and sexual assault charges, authorities said.

Witness Eric Abneri said the suspect appeared to have bloody scratches across his face, and said nothing as police arrested him.

“I’m honestly absolutely stunned someone is still alive from this. It is like falling from the top of an absolute cliff,” he said.

A bridge near the castle, which draws a total of 1.4 million visitors each year, was temporarily closed due to the incident.

The castle was built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who hid out there after losing in the Austro-Prussian war in 1866.

With Post wires

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Tourist killed, 2nd injured after being shoved into ravine near famous German castle were reportedly U. of. I graduates

German police say they have arrested a 30-year-old american man in the attack at neuschwanstein castle wednesday..

A view of the Pollat gorge with the Neuschwanstein castle, in background in Schwangau, Germany, Friday, June 16, 2023.

A woman who died after being shoved into a ravine near Germany’s famous Neuschwanstein castle Wednesday was reportedly a recent graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Another woman who was shoved into the ravine and allegedly sexually assaulted but survived is also a recent U. of I. grad, the Daily Mail reported.

Authorities in Germany have not released the names of the victims. A 30-year-old American man has been arrested in the attack, authorities said.

A U. of I. spokeswoman said the university had not independently verified the identities of the two women attacked but confirmed to the Sun-Times on Friday that the names reported by the Mail are the same as those of two students who graduated in May.

The Sun-Times has not been able to independently confirm the identities of the victims. The paper does not publish names of sexual assault survivors.

No one answered the door at the suburban family home of one of the U. of I. grads on Friday.

The incident near the popular tourist attraction happened Wednesday afternoon near the Marienbruecke, a bridge over a gorge close to the castle that offers a famous view of Neuschwanstein.

The man met the two female tourists, ages 21 and 22, on a hiking path and lured them onto a trail that leads to a viewpoint, police said in a statement.

“The younger of the two women was attacked by the suspect,” said police spokesman Holger Stabik. “The older one tried to rush to her aid, was then choked by the suspect and subsequently pushed down a slope.”

The assailant then appears to have attempted to sexually assault the 21-year-old before pushing her down the slope as well, police said. She fell nearly 165 feet, ending up close to her friend.

A view Friday from the Marienbruecke bridge into the Pollat gorge, near the Neuschwanstein castle, in Schwangau, German.

A mountain rescue team reached both women. The 22-year-old was “responsive” and taken to a hospital, police said; a helicopter carried the 21-year-old with serious injuries to a different hospital, and she died there overnight.

The suspect left the scene but was arrested nearby. Bystander video posted online showed police leading away a handcuffed man in a T-shirt, jeans and a baseball cap.

Eric Abneri, a recent business graduate from the University of Pittsburgh who took the video, said the man appeared to have scratches across his face.

“He did not say a single word. He didn’t open his mouth. He didn’t mumble,” Abneri told The Associated Press. “He just walked with the police, and that was it.”

Abneri said he and friends reached the scenic overlook as a helicopter arrived, and they saw rescuers lower themselves down to the victims.

“I’m honestly absolutely stunned someone is still alive from this. It is like falling from the top of an absolute cliff,” he said.

Abneri described it as “a very, very difficult rescue because of those cliffs and because the helicopter came mere feet above the tree line at the top of the hill.”

“They did an unbelievable job,” he said.

A danger sign is posted near the Pollat gorge, near the Neuschwanstein castle, in Schwangau, Germany.

Police said the man they arrested was American and described him also as a tourist; prosecutors said the women were fellow U.S. citizens. The 22-year-old remained hospitalized Thursday, according to prosecutors.

Authorities didn’t identify the suspect or the victims, or give more details.

Police said a judge in nearby Kempten on Thursday ordered the suspect held pending a potential indictment — a process that can take months — and he was taken to jail. He is under investigation on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and a sexual offense.

Police said they and prosecutors were focusing on trying to reconstruct exactly what happened and called for any witnesses to come forward.

Neuschwanstein, in southern Bavaria close to Austria’s border, is one of Germany’s most popular tourist attractions.

It is the most famous of the castles built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria in the 19th century. Construction started in 1869 but was never completed. Ludwig died in 1886.

Contributing: AP