Urs Hans von Aesch

Urs Hans von Aesch was a Swiss citizen suspected of the 2007 abduction and murder of five year old Ylenia Lenhard in Appenzell, Switzerland.

Abduction and suspected murder of Ylenia Lenhard

Von Aesch apparently committed suicide by shooting himself in the head on 3 August 2007, three days after Ylenia disappeared and shortly after shooting an unidentified 46 year old man. [http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpolizeibericht.ch%2Fger_details_2971%2FOberbueren_SG_Mann_angeschossen_-_weisser_Kastenwagen_mit_deutschen_Kennzeichen_gesucht_-_Kapo-Grossfahdung_erfolglos.html&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=de&ie=UTF-8] Von Aesch's body was found the following day. [http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.polizeibericht.ch%2Fger_details_2988%2FOberbueren_Billwilerwald_SG_Gesuchtes_Auto_gefunden_Fahrer_des_Pw_mit_auslaendischen_Kontrollschildern_beging_Selbstmord.html&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=de&ie=UTF-8] A backpack with Ylenia's clothes inside and her cycling helmet were found near von Aesch's body and was found to carry his DNA. Traces of Ylenia's DNA were also found in a white van owned by von Aesch, containing a mattress that he had been using to sleep on. cite news |title=Ylenia was in von Aeschs car |publisher=Publicnow |date=2007-08-06 |accessdate=2007-09-13 |url=http://www.nowpublic.com/madeleine_mccann_and_ylenia_lenhard_police_looks_possible_connections ] cite news |title=Polizeibericht.ch - Police: Ylenia was in von Aeschs car |date=2007-08-06 |accessdate=2007-09-25 |url=http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fpolizeibericht.ch%2Fger_details_3063%2FSt_Gallen_Oberbueren_SG_Appenzell_AI_Spuren_des_Auslandsschweizers_Von_Aesch_am_Rucksack_Helm_und_dem_Kickbrett_von_Ylenia.html_und_dem_Kickbrett_von_Ylenia.html&langpair=de%7Cen&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools ]

Witnesses have said a man matching von Aesch’s description had been seen watching Ylenia’s home and movements for at least 10 days.” cite news | title = Madeleine: Police to show her parents picture of child snatcher suspect who killed himself | publisher = Daily Express | date = 2007-08-07 |accessdate = 2007-09-13 |url = http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/15806/Madeleine-lookalike-snatched-by-pervert]

Swiss police announced on September 15th 2007 that a body had been discovered in the woods between the villages of Oberbüren and Niederwil considered almost certain to be Ylenia's. On September 16th 2007 the Swiss police confirmed that the found body was in fact the remains of Ylenia. The man who found the corpse on his own has received a reward of approx. $20,000.00. The sum was gathered by authorities and relatives to keep the search going.

The finder stated: "If the wild animals hadn't dug her up from the 1-2 foot deep hole where she was buried, probably no one would have ever found her". Wild animals had torn parts of the body, especially the upper torso, apart. This forced forensics to identify the body with a DNA match. Police think it is very probable that she was the victim of a rape-murder crime. Although on September 19th 2007 the police said, they didn't find any evidence that she was raped before or after she was murdered. The true cause of death still remains undetermined. Since there are no signs of brute force on her body. Speculators say she could have been poisoned. cite news | title = Body of missing girl believed found| publisher = swissinfo | date = 2007-09-15 |accessdate = 2007-09-15 |url = http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/Body_of_missing_girl_believed_found.html?siteSect=105&sid=8221344&cKey=1189931610000&ty=st]

Von Aesch had a criminal record and was sentenced to 15 months in jail in 1961 after trying to extort ten thousand Swiss francs from a businessman in Zurich by threatening to kidnap his young son. He sent him a letter saying "...how terrible must it be, to live through the day not knowing if your dear Geni will return from day care..." (translated).cite news | title = Zandvoort ring shade hovers above Maddie and Ylenia | publisher = Princess Croy Foundation |accessdate = 2007-09-13 |url = http://www.droitfondamental.eu/06-Ylena_lead_to_maddie-GB.htm]

In 1990 he married and moved to Benimantell, a village 15km from Benidorm in Spain. Police in St. Gallen have also re-opened enquiries into the disappearances of five other girls who disappeared in the area before von Aesch moved to Spain.

uspect in the McCann case

Von Aesch was also briefly a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. He was thought to be close to Praia da Luz when Madeleine McCann disappeared. A white van with Spanish number plates matching the description of von Aesch's was seen parked for several days in front of the McCann's apartment. The van was not seen again after Madeleine disappeared.

Other cases

The following is a list of disappeared children in areas were von Aesch may have lived.

East Switzerland

* April 1981: Ten year old Claudia Schwarz from St. Gallen is killed.

* September 1981: 14 year old Peter Perjesy from Wattwil disappears.

* July 1982: 15 year old Karin Gattiker and the 17 year old Brigitte Meier disappear while cycling. Their corpses are found the same year in October.

* May 1984: Seven-year-old Peter Roth disappears on the way to school in Mogelsberg.

* May 1986: The eight-year old Edith Trittenbass from Grass bei Wetzikon disappears.

* 31 July 2007: Ylenia Lenhard disappears.Photos and Backgroundinfos about this cases (German) [ [http://ylenia.ch/ger_details_333/Vermisste_Kinder_in_der_Schweiz.html Vermißte Kinder in der Schweiz ] ]

Portugal

* 12 September 2004: Joana Cipriano disappears from her home in the village of Figueira, seven miles from where Madeleine McCann went missing.

* 3 May 2007: Madeleine McCann disappears.

Notes

External links

* http://www.Ylenia.ch (Swiss Ylenia search site - later a documentation site to the case Ylenia and the site of the foundation Ylenia) (German)