Hamburg police are investigating new information in the Hilal case

In the search for evidence of the disappearance of the then ten-year-old Hilal 23 years ago, a part of Hamburg's Volkspark has become the focus of the police and public prosecutor's office. "Yesterday, clearing began in the Volkspark because the public prosecutor's office and the police, based on private information, are checking a piece of land there to see whether there is reason for further investigation of the soil," said senior public prosecutor Liddy Oechtering on Friday of the German Press Agency.

The action on Thursday was initially not about usable evidence or traces. “But there is no search there at the moment. The area is only cleared so that the ground can be inspected," Oechtering continued. The aim is to see whether evidence can be obtained or found there. When and how things will continue on the site will be checked afterwards. The "Bild" newspaper had previously reported on it.

It was only in July that a piece of forest and a body of water were searched on the northern outskirts of Hamburg after references to the piece of forest in Norderstedt, Schleswig-Holstein (District Segeberg) had appeared during the usual evaluation of old files.

In September, Norddeutscher Rundfunk published the documentary series "Where is Hilal?", which accompanies Hilal's family in their search for evidence and new leads. There was also talk of the now cleared property. Because sniffer dogs had struck there, the private investigators had assumed that human bones could be lying there.

The then ten-year-old Turkish girl has been missing since January 27, 1999. Hilal had brought home a good half-year report that day. The father allowed the daughter to buy sweets in the neighboring shopping center "Elbgaupassage". Since then, Hilal has disappeared.