A 57-year-old man has been charged in connection with the 1999 rape and attempted murder of an 11-year-old girl at Bøtø Strand on Falster. The prosecution announced the charges on Friday, marking a significant development in a case that has remained unsolved for over two decades.

The crime occurred on August 4, 1999, when the young girl was brutally attacked. The prosecution believes the defendant not only raped her but also attempted to take her life. DNA evidence and advancements in kinship searching have been instrumental in bringing the case to court after so many years.

The South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police announced a breakthrough in the investigation in December of last year, attributing it to the use of kinship searching methods. This technique led investigators to a local man who was subsequently arrested and has remained in custody. The court deemed the suspicion against him justified. The 57-year-old man has entered a plea of not guilty. A jury trial is scheduled to take place in the Court in Nykøbing Falster.

Special Prosecutor Susanne Bluhm stated in a press release that the decision ultimately rests with the court. She emphasized that the charges were brought because the prosecution believes there is sufficient evidence to identify the defendant as the perpetrator of the heinous crimes against the 11-year-old girl.

Kinship searching has proven valuable in resolving other long-standing, serious cases. Investigators were led to the local man because his child’s DNA was in the police’s DNA register, according to reports. During the court hearing following his arrest, the man, described as gray-bearded and using a cane, was presented to a judge. It is alleged that on the day of the attack in 1999, he threatened the child with a pistol-like object and forced her towards a forest. Authorities claim he also squeezed her neck so severely that she lost consciousness.

The 1999 case garnered significant media attention, with the police even commissioning a phantom drawing. Bent Jørgensen, the head of the investigation at the time, was present in the courtroom when the arrested man was presented to a judge. He told sources that he was struck by the similarity between the man and the old drawing. This resemblance was a key factor in the judge’s decision to remand the man in custody.

Other evidence presented included old photographs and DNA traces found on the victim. The date for the court hearing has not yet been determined.