Germany: Sitter held in death of 7-year-old found in tub

BERLIN – A 69-year-old woman is being held in the death of a 7-year-old boy she was looking after in southern Germany.

The child was found dead on Saturday in a bathtub at the woman’s home in Kuenzelsau, 38 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of Heilbronn.

Police and prosecutors in Heilbronn said Monday that an initial autopsy showed the boy didn’t drown, but died as a result of force to the neck.

The woman was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter on Sunday. Local media reports say she had regularly took care of the boy for several years.

She hasn’t been named in keeping with German privacy laws. A judge has ordered her held in prison while an investigation continues.