Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: CEN

An 18-year-old girl whose friends say was pregnant has been found stabbed to death at home and the mayor has said that the sleepy coastal town is still in “shock”.

The victim, identified as Maria K., did not reply to any of her friends and was unreachable on her mobile phone last Tuesday.

Mayor Peter Usemann said that he was “shocked” by the murder in his sleepy spa town of just 4,000 residents.

Pictures Credit: CEN

When a concerned friend went to her house in Zinnowitz, a small Baltic Sea beach resort in the north-eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, she found Maria’s lifeless body in one of the rooms.

According to the police, Maria was stabbed to death in the house where she lived alone.

Police spokeswoman Claudia Tupeit said: “We are working with 60 officers on the case.”

Tupeit said that the cops are currently investigating every avenue possible, saying that the murder “is a high priority for us.”

At the moment, the local authorities do not have any strong suspects.

According to reports, the focus of the investigation is on Maria’s life and her friends and acquaintances.

Tupeit said: “There are multiple investigative leads.”

Cops are currently looking for witnesses who may have been the last to see Maria alive.

They also went door-to-door in Zinnowitz to ask neighbours if they heard or saw anything suspicious.

According to local media, Anna, Maria’s childhood friend, said that she was “a lovable girl who did not argue with anyone” and that she had recently heard from Maria who claimed that she was pregnant.

However, chief prosecutor Martin Cloppenburg said that he could not confirm or deny whether Maria was indeed pregnant at the time of her death.

Local media reported that Maria, who was enrolled at a local vocational school, was not in a steady relationship.

Usemann said: “My sympathies lie with the relatives of the young woman.”

The investigation is continuing. So far there have been no arrests reported.