Police are desperately looking for missing Kai H. from Rätzlingen!

Police are desperately looking for missing Kai H. from Rätzlingen!

The police in the Uelzen district are currently looking for a 28-year-old man from Rätzlingen, Kai H., who has been missing since October 18th. His family reported the man missing on October 17th after he was unable to travel back to Hamburg as planned on October 13th, where he works and is registered. The last clues lead to October 18th, when a witness from Rosche took him to the fire department in Rätzlingen. After that, however, his trace is lost.

The disappearance of Kai H. also attracts particular attention due to his psychological condition, as he is considered to be mentally ill. In order to make the search more efficient, officials have been using sniffer dogs in Rosche since Wednesday. These measures have been supported by numerous tips from social networks received in recent days. However, so far there are no indications of a dangerous situation and the police are encouraging Kai H. to report to the officers or his family.

A missing student and a tragic incident

In addition to the search for Kai H., the police in the region have another sad case to deal with. A 19-year-old student from Hamburg, who had been missing since a party at a campsite, was found dead in the Ilmenau River near Lüneburg. The identity was confirmed by his clothing and papers. Investigators are ruling out foul play and assuming it was an accident, while an autopsy is planned to determine the cause of death.

The search for the student lasted six days and required a large-scale search team that included helicopters, drones and divers. The German Life Saving Society (DLRG) found the body during a planned exercise in which the riverbed was searched with a human chain. The police are in close contact with the relatives, who are receiving pastoral support.

Search operations in emergencies

Missing person cases are a serious issue that is important not only in Northern Germany, but throughout Germany. The tasks of the “Missing Persons Unit” of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) include the search for missing people and the identification of unknown bodies. The local police stations are responsible for the immediate search for people, especially in cases of acute danger.

Last year, around 9,420 missing person cases were registered in Germany. About half of these cases clear up within the first week, over 80% within a month. Children and young people in particular are often the focus, with the retention rate for unaccompanied minor refugees (UMF) being over 79% in 2024. Even though the police often refer people to other institutions, the numerous search operations show how important quick and effective measures are to find missing people.