A woman identified by Swiss media as Gabriele Schulze, left, embraces her sister Simon Lau, who she has not seen for 12 years, in the village of Bolligen, Switzerland, Jan. 21. The Shulze, 52, who has been missing from a village outside Berlin since 1997, was recently discovered in a forest in Bolligen, where she lived for nearly a year in a self-made hideout.
AP Photo/Keystone, Marcel Bieri.
BOLLIGEN, Switzerland / The Houston Chronicle / Associated Press / January 21, 2009
A woman discovered living in an umbrella-and-tarpaulin shelter in Switzerland was picked up by her sister Wednesday and driven back to her native Germany, 12 years after her disappearance.
"I'm so excited," said the 52-year-old woman who has been identified in Swiss press as Gabriele Schulze.
She was reported missing in 1997 from a village outside Berlin and had been living for the past year in woodland near the Swiss capital, Bern.
The Bern Citizens' Community that owns the forest said it was relieved Schulze left. It had asked her to vacate the knee-high construction that could easily have been mistaken for a heap of junk.
"The problem has been solved for the community," mayor Rudolf Burger said. "The problems for the woman's family and for herself haven't been," as it is obvious that she will need good care, he said.
Schulze, who was discovered last week, was originally hostile to the idea of reuniting with her family, authorities said. She was identified with the aid of an information system shared by the 25 member nations of the so-called Schengen accord enabling passport-free travel in Europe.
Copyright © 2008 The Houston Chronicle
January 21, 2009
SWITZERLAND: Woman quits woods, meets sister, back in Germany
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A woman identified by Swiss media as Gabriele Schulze, left, embraces her sister Simon Lau, who she has not seen for 12 years, in the village of Bolligen, Switzerland, Jan. 21. The Shulze, 52, who has been missing from a village outside Berlin since 1997, was recently discovered in a forest in Bolligen, where she lived for nearly a year in a self-made hideout.
AP Photo/Keystone, Marcel Bieri.
BOLLIGEN, Switzerland / The Houston Chronicle / Associated Press / January 21, 2009
A woman discovered living in an umbrella-and-tarpaulin shelter in Switzerland was picked up by her sister Wednesday and driven back to her native Germany, 12 years after her disappearance.
"I'm so excited," said the 52-year-old woman who has been identified in Swiss press as Gabriele Schulze.
She was reported missing in 1997 from a village outside Berlin and had been living for the past year in woodland near the Swiss capital, Bern.
The Bern Citizens' Community that owns the forest said it was relieved Schulze left. It had asked her to vacate the knee-high construction that could easily have been mistaken for a heap of junk.
"The problem has been solved for the community," mayor Rudolf Burger said. "The problems for the woman's family and for herself haven't been," as it is obvious that she will need good care, he said.
Schulze, who was discovered last week, was originally hostile to the idea of reuniting with her family, authorities said. She was identified with the aid of an information system shared by the 25 member nations of the so-called Schengen accord enabling passport-free travel in Europe.
Copyright © 2008 The Houston Chronicle
A woman identified by Swiss media as Gabriele Schulze, left, embraces her sister Simon Lau, who she has not seen for 12 years, in the village of Bolligen, Switzerland, Jan. 21. The Shulze, 52, who has been missing from a village outside Berlin since 1997, was recently discovered in a forest in Bolligen, where she lived for nearly a year in a self-made hideout.
AP Photo/Keystone, Marcel Bieri.
BOLLIGEN, Switzerland / The Houston Chronicle / Associated Press / January 21, 2009
A woman discovered living in an umbrella-and-tarpaulin shelter in Switzerland was picked up by her sister Wednesday and driven back to her native Germany, 12 years after her disappearance.
"I'm so excited," said the 52-year-old woman who has been identified in Swiss press as Gabriele Schulze.
She was reported missing in 1997 from a village outside Berlin and had been living for the past year in woodland near the Swiss capital, Bern.
The Bern Citizens' Community that owns the forest said it was relieved Schulze left. It had asked her to vacate the knee-high construction that could easily have been mistaken for a heap of junk.
"The problem has been solved for the community," mayor Rudolf Burger said. "The problems for the woman's family and for herself haven't been," as it is obvious that she will need good care, he said.
Schulze, who was discovered last week, was originally hostile to the idea of reuniting with her family, authorities said. She was identified with the aid of an information system shared by the 25 member nations of the so-called Schengen accord enabling passport-free travel in Europe.
Copyright © 2008 The Houston Chronicle
