Police find no signs of violence on Vantaa teenager

Police have found no signs of violence on the body of a teenage girl who was found dead in Vantaa, Yle reports. An 18-year-old man has been remanded on suspicion of aggravated causing of death by negligence, child rape and a drug offence.

The approximately 15-year-old girl was found in the stairwell of an apartment building in Asola, Vantaa, during the night between September 2 and 3. A third party found her and contacted the emergency services.

According to information obtained by Yle, the girl was found at the apartment building where the suspect lived. Police carried out an investigation at the scene and located the suspect, said Marko Särkkä, the detective chief inspector leading the investigation at the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department.

The cause of death is being investigated, including whether intoxicants contributed to it. Police say the suspect and the girl knew each other to some extent, but are still investigating the nature of their acquaintance.

The West Uusimaa District Court remanded the suspect, who was born in 2008, on September 5 on probable cause of the offences. The suspected offences are believed to have taken place between August 31 and September 3. Police said the broader period relates to the suspected drug offence and child rape, and that the more precise timing has not yet been established.

Police have conducted a preliminary interview with the suspect, but Särkkä did not comment on its contents. According to Yle’s review, the suspect has not previously been charged with crimes.

Aggravated causing of death by negligence means that the suspect is not believed to have intentionally caused the girl’s death, but is suspected of causing it through gross negligence. The maximum sentence for the offence is six years in prison.

Under Finnish law, sexual intercourse with a child under 16 is classified as child rape. The offence does not require violence, threats or coercion, and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The deadline for bringing charges in the case is December 3.

“This is an extremely distressing and serious incident,” Särkkä said. Police are working to investigate it as thoroughly as possible, he said, adding that the investigation is complicated because the victim is dead and cannot tell her own account of what happened.