BAVARIA, GERMANY: A 21-year-old woman from Illinois died after being assaulted and pushed off a gorge by a man, identified as an American, near one of Germany's most well-known tourist attractions. Eva Liu, who was on a trip with her college friend Kelsey Chang, was visiting the Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau on Wednesday, June 14, when a 30-year-old man pushed her into a 165-ft gorge.
The unidentified suspect, who was staying at the same hotel as the Liu and Chang, allegedly lured the women to a hidden trail and then attempted to sexually assault Liu. According to the police, when Chang tried to help her friend, the attacker strangled her and pushed her off the edge of the gorge but a tree broke her fall. He tried to assault Liu again before pushing her into the gorge. The two women were rescued by the Fussen mountain rescue, who airlifted them to a nearby hospital. While Chang survived, Liu succumbed to her injuries following that day.
Who was Eva Liu?
Liu was a recent University of Illinois graduate and was awarded a computer science degree just weeks before the tragedy. As per her LinkedIn profile, she recently landed a role as a software engineer at Microsoft after finishing an internship with the company in her last semester. Liu and Chang both graduated from Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora with a high school diploma in 2019. Earlier in 2023, she even began working as a teaching assistant at Engineering City Scholars in Illinois.
A statement from the associate chancellor of the UIUC confirmed that the two women were celebrating their graduation in Germany when the unidentified suspect attacked them. Robin Kaler described the death of Liu as "senseless," stating, "Our University of Illinois family is mourning the senseless death of Ms. Liu and the attack on Ms. Chang. Both had just graduated in May and should have been able to celebrate such an important accomplishment without the fear of such a tragic outcome."
What are the charges against Eva Liu’s attacker?
Bavarian Police confirmed that they had arrested the attacker, who was being held on charges of murder, attempted murder and one sexual offense. He was seen being led away from the scene in handcuffs in a video taken by another tourist. The police declared that he "had his say in court” after declining to speak with detectives. "We couldn't verify yet which US state the suspect is from. Inquiries are still ongoing via German and American authorities," a Bavarian police spox told the Daily Mail.
"The suspect didn't make any comments to police but in his hearing in court yesterday he did have his say in regards to remaining in custody. We don't want to say exactly what he said, however," the spokesman continued.
Meanwhile, police are searching for key evidence in the video footage of the incident. “We are looking for photographs which, by chance, show two young women and a man (approx. 30 years old) who were staying east of the Marienbruecke,” Kempten police said on their website.
