Almost a week after the disappearance of an eight-year-old from Oldenburg in Lower Saxony, investigators set up a homicide squad.
The assumption of the past few days that the child could consciously hide is increasingly unlikely, the Oldenburg police said on Thursday.
Investigated against unknown.
Based on a witness statement, there is a suspicion that the eight-year-old could have been the victim of a violent crime.
An accident cannot be ruled out either, it said.
The mentally handicapped boy has been missing since Friday evening.
There is still no information on his whereabouts.
He is also being searched for with sniffer dogs, drones and helicopters.
The emergency services are also supported by the population.
Despite a multitude of clues, the eight-year-old has not yet been found.
The special organization set up to search for the boy will initially remain in place.
In the past few days, the police have called on residents in the area to share search calls and to look in known hiding places.
It also relies on loudspeaker announcements.
The police initially assumed that the boy could misinterpret the search for him as a game.