Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: CEN
These are the two adorable kids who cops believe were killed by their 55-year-old dad after his 26-year-old model wife left him.
Five-year-old Leo and his two-year-old sister Maya were killed in Dresden, the capital of the eastern German state of Saxony.
A picture showing Leo proudly showing off his new bicycle with ‘polizei’ (‘police’) written on it and another snap of Maya enjoying an ice cream are perhaps the last two pictures taken of the two adorable children before their lives were taken away.
Pictures Credit: CEN
According to the public prosecutor’s office, both children were murdered by their 55-year-old French father only identified as Laurent F., who has lived in Dresden since 1992 where he has his own construction firm.
Local media reported that Laurent F. and his 26-year-old Senegalese wife Marieta F. had seperated. Even though the two were still married Marieta decided to leave her husband last year and live on her own, which reportedly was hard for Laurent F. to deal with.
The Frenchmen had more problems in life as he suffered under the near-collapse of his construction firm with a business information report saying it has “considerable financial difficulties”.
Laurent F. allegedly took care of the two children for two days when Marieta F. returned to his house to pick them up after working the entire day as a make-up model.
What exactly happened when Marieta F. arrived at the house is still unclear.
Neighbours heard a loud fight between the two and immediately called the cops.
A police spokesman said: “The attending officers then made a sad discovery and found both children lifeless in the house.”
The police refused to report how the children were killed – although blood splashes were found all over the walls of the house and neighbours said both a knife and a blood-soaked stone could have been used as murder weapons.
Marieta F. suffered severe injuries as well but survived – she is currently being treated in hospital. and Laurent F. was arrested near the murder scene.
Chief prosecutor Jurgen Schmidt said: “Warrants were issued against the man on suspicion of murder in two cases.”
Laurent F. was described by neighbours as someone as a “nice, friendly, helpful man who liked to talk a lot”. they said he was speaking fluent German albeit with a slight French accent.
Neighbour Wolfgang M. said: “But he could also get angry, I sometimes heard him on his roof terrace ranting out loud.”
Wolfgang F. married Marieta in 2015 in Senegal and brought her to Germany, although family friends reported it was never a happy marriage.
A friend said: “He controlled her at every turn. He searched the rubbish, shouting at her when she left a glass in the kitchen.”
Investigations are continuing.
