Girl, 15, murdered by kidnapper after police take 19 hours to respond to call

Police took 19 hours to respond to emergency calls from the victim of a kidnapping who is now presumed dead.

Alexandra Macesanu, 15, called police three times the morning after she was abducted to say she had been kidnapped while hitchhiking home from Caracal in the south of Bucharest, Romania, according to the AFP news agency.

Alexandra reportedly yelled ‘he’s coming, he’s coming’ before the line went dead during one of her calls to police.

When officers eventually found the property where they believed she was being held nearly 24 hours later, they discovered human remains and jewellery.

Investigators believe the remains found are those of the missing girl and another teenager, 18, who vanished in April.

The remains have not yet been formally identified.

After widespread outrage, the police blamed their slow response time on poor technology, the time taken to secure search warrants and insufficient police staff.

But the suspected murder led to a huge outpouring of emotion and a number of demonstrations in the capital city.

Around 2,000 protesters carrying placards bearing anti-government slogans left floral tributes and candles outside the Interior Ministry.

According to Reuters, the country’s police chief and two other high-ranking officials have been sacked as a result.

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila is now considering holding a public vote to introduce harsher sentences for such crimes.

Yesterday, police arrested Gheorghe Dinca, 65, who works as a mechanic, in relation to the kidnapping. He has been detained for 30 days pending a criminal investigation.

Local media reports Dinca has confessed to killing both girls.

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