Prosecutors in Germany have charged a suspected paedophile with the murder and attempted rape of a 14-year-old girl later found dead in a lake.

Victim Ayleen Ambs, who was described as a “nice, shy, and reserved girl” by chief criminal investigator Arno Englen, went missing on 21st July last year.

Her whereabouts were unknown until a body was recovered in Teufelssee lake, Hesse state, eight days later.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Giessen, Hesse, has charged evil Jan-Heiko Pflur with murder, attempted rape resulting in death, and abduction of minors.

It has also charged the suspect – who is in custody – with coercion, driving without a licence, and obtaining child pornography.

Chief Public Prosecutor Thomas Hauburger, 41, said that if he is convicted, “there is a risk of life imprisonment and preventive detention”.

Pflur, 30, had chatted with teenage victim Ayleen Ambs for months before he earned her trust and she agreed to meet him.

Pflur – from Waldsolms, Hesse – is believed to have picked the schoolgirl up in Gottenheim, Baden-Wuerttemberg state, on the afternoon of 21st July.

He is said to have driven her to an area of forest near Langgoens-Cleeberg, Hesse, before killing her near a dirt road shortly after midnight.

Law enforcement officials described the crime as sexually motivated.

Hauburger said: “Following the homicide, the accused is said to have taken the body to Teufelsee near Echzell, where it was found on 29th July 2022 by Hesse Police.”

Investigators took statements from 122 witnesses and viewed more than 30,000 chats over the course of the probe.

Examination of Pflur’s mobile phone found he had met his victim on Snapchat at the end of April 2022 and remained in close contact until the fatal meeting.

The court in Giessen will now decide whether to admit the charges.