Urs Hans Von Aesch
Encyclopedia
Urs Hans von Aesch was a Swiss
citizen suspected of the 2007 abduction and murder of five-year-old Ylenia Lenhard in Appenzell
, Switzerland.
by shooting himself in the head on July 31, 2007, a few hours after Lenhard disappeared, and shortly after shooting a 46-year-old man. Von Aesch's body was found the following day. A backpack with Lenhard's clothes inside and her cycling helmet were found near von Aesch's body and was found to carry his DNA. Traces of Lenhard's DNA were also found in a white van owned by von Aesch, containing a mattress that he had been using to sleep on.
Witnesses have said a man matching von Aesch's description had been seen outside the public bath in Appenzell for at least 10 days.
Swiss police announced on September 15, 2007 that a body had been discovered in the woods between the villages of Oberbüren and Niederwil considered almost certain to be Lenhard's. On September 16 2007 the Swiss police confirmed that the found body was in fact the remains of Lenhard. The man who found the corpse on his own has received a reward of approximately $20,000. 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 19 2007 the police said, they didn't find any evidence that she was raped before or after she was murdered. The cause of her death was toluol poisoning.
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).
In 1990 he married and moved to Benimantell
, a village 15 km 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.
. 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.
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
citizen suspected of the 2007 abduction and murder of five-year-old Ylenia Lenhard in Appenzell
Appenzell
Appenzell is a region and historical canton in the northeast of Switzerland, entirely surrounded by the Canton of St. Gallen....
, Switzerland.
Abduction and suspected murder of Ylenia Lenhard
Von Aesch apparently committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by shooting himself in the head on July 31, 2007, a few hours after Lenhard disappeared, and shortly after shooting a 46-year-old man. Von Aesch's body was found the following day. A backpack with Lenhard's clothes inside and her cycling helmet were found near von Aesch's body and was found to carry his DNA. Traces of Lenhard's DNA were also found in a white van owned by von Aesch, containing a mattress that he had been using to sleep on.
Witnesses have said a man matching von Aesch's description had been seen outside the public bath in Appenzell for at least 10 days.
Swiss police announced on September 15, 2007 that a body had been discovered in the woods between the villages of Oberbüren and Niederwil considered almost certain to be Lenhard's. On September 16 2007 the Swiss police confirmed that the found body was in fact the remains of Lenhard. The man who found the corpse on his own has received a reward of approximately $20,000. 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 19 2007 the police said, they didn't find any evidence that she was raped before or after she was murdered. The cause of her death was toluol poisoning.
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).
In 1990 he married and moved to Benimantell
Benimantell
Benimantell is a Valencian town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Spain. Benimantell has an area of 37.9 km² and, according to the 2002 census, a total population of 378 inhabitants. The economy of Benimantell is exclusively based on...
, a village 15 km from Benidorm
Benidorm
Benidorm is a coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain, by the Western Mediterranean....
in Spain. Police in St. Gallen
St. Gallen
St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...
have also re-opened enquiries into the disappearances of five other girls who disappeared in the area before von Aesch moved to Spain.
Suspect in the McCann case
Von Aesch was also briefly a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCannDisappearance of Madeleine McCann
Madeleine McCann disappeared on the evening of Thursday, 3 May 2007. She was on holiday with her parents and twin siblings in the Algarve region of Portugal. The British girl went missing from an apartment, in the central area of the resort of Praia da Luz, a few days before her fourth...
. He was thought to be close to Praia da Luz
Praia da Luz
Praia da Luz , officially Luz, is a civil parish, village and resort located about 6 km from the municipality of Lagos in the Algarve, Portugal. Also known as Luz de Lagos or Vila da Luz, "Praia da Luz", which means Beach of the Light, is used to refer to both the village and the beach...
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.
Portugal
- 12 September 2004: Joana Cipriano disappears from her home in the village of FigueiraFigueira (Faro)Figueira is a village near Portimão in the Algarve in Portugal. In the English-speaking world its main claim to fame is the disappearance there, on 12 September 2004, of a local girl, eight-year-old Joana Cipriano, and the subsequent conviction of her mother and uncle for murder.-External links:*...
, seven miles from where Madeleine McCann went missing. - 3 May 2007: Madeleine McCann disappears.
External links
- http://www.Ylenia.ch (Swiss Ylenia Lenhard search site - later a documentation site to the case of Ylenia Lenhard and the site of the foundation Ylenia) (in German)