MARIA Ladenburger was raped and drowned in a river in the city of Freiburg near Germany's border with Switzerland.

A teenage Afghan asylum seeker confessed to murdering her, police said.

But who is she and what has been revealed about the tragic case so far?

4 Maria was on her way home in the early hours of the morning before she was raped and drowned in a river

4 Maria, centre, was killed on October 16 this year

Who is Maria Ladenburger?

Maria Ladenburger, 19, was a medical student who was killed on October 16 2016.

She was the daughter of Dr Clemens Ladenburger, a leading lawyer who assists the legal director of the European Commission.

Maria helped out at a refugee centre in her spare time but is unclear if she was known to her alleged murderer.

She was snatched from her bike as she cycled home from a party and raped before she was drowned in the River Dreisam.

Mr Ladenburger and his wife Frederika placed a memorial notice for Maria in a local paper.

It read: "Maria was for 19 years a singular ray of sunshine for our family, and that she will remain.

"We thank God for this gift, that he made you with us.

"We are sure that she is safe with him."

Details of her death only emerged after police arrested and charged her alleged killer on 2 December.

David Müller, head of the police Special Commission, said in a press conference: "Through interviews and a web-based survey, we were able to reconstruct Maria's final hours.

"The 19-year-old student had been at a party.

"By 2.37am she left the party, Maria then cycled home as usual.

"The young woman had been the victim of a sexual offence and a violent crime."

4 Maria was the daughter of EU official Dr Clemens Ladenburger Credit: Enterprise News and Pictures

4 Maria was a promising medical student in Germany before she was brutally murdered

What do we know about Maria Ladenburger's alleged killer?

A 17-year-old Afghan refugee was arrested on Friday 2 December and will go before the courts next year.

He has confessed to murder but can still change his plea, and it is unclear if he has confessed to rape.

After Maria's body was discovered, cops searched a bush nearby and found an 18.5cm-long strand of black hair that partially been dyed blonde.

Maria's scarf was found at the bottom of a riverbed.

When DNA from the hair and scarf were checked by police they found no matches.

Cops later checked CCTV and saw a 17-year-old on a local tram who had long black hair dyed partially blonde - similar to that of the one found in the bush.

When officers brought him in and checked his DNA they found it matched the samples from the crime scene.

Officers are investigating if he is responsible for the rape and murder of another woman in Endingen, 18 miles away from Freiburg, at the beginning of November.

Public prosecutor Dieter Inhofer said the teen suspect was living with a family in Freiburg and had committed no crimes since his arrival in Germany in 2015.

The arrest of the Afghan refugee comes against rising anger against Angela Merkel's perceived "open-door refugee policy".

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