Daughter of wealthy German businessman killed in botched kidnapping

The teenage daughter of a wealthy German businessman was killed during a botched kidnapping attempt, police said after a four-day intense search that gripped the nation.

Police said they found the body of the 17-year-old schoolgirl, named only as Anneli-Marie R., in an abandoned farmhouse near Dresden. The search made headline TV news, even pushing the euro-zone crisis off the front pages of newspapers.

"All our hopes and prayers have come to nothing," regional police chief Dieter Kroll told a nationally televised news conference on Tuesday. He added that two suspects had been detained on suspicion of murder.

The girl had last been seen on Thursday walking the family dog near the family's rural home. Her father got a phone call demanding a ransom of €1.2 million (HK$10.3 million) for her release. In the background he heard Anneli-Marie screaming, police said. Running out to look for her, he found the dog alive, tied up to her bicycle.

Police said more than 50 people had come forward with tips that helped lead to the arrest of two men, aged 39 and 61.