A 24-year-old Cameroonian woman, Yomi Mbakob Virginie Sonya, has been killed in Germany, with prosecutors accusing her 29-year-old Congolese former partner and father of her child of carrying out the fatal attack.
Virginie was attacked at about 6:30 a.m. on Monday, August 31, 2026, on Leo-Hendrik-Baekeland-Straße in Erkner, a town in the German state of Brandenburg, near Berlin.
According to Brandenburg police, she suffered severe injuries during the attack and died despite efforts by emergency services to save her.
German authorities believe a knife was used.
The Frankfurt (Oder) Public Prosecutor’s Office says the man suspected of killing her is a 29-year-old Congolese national who had previously been in a relationship with Virginie.
The two had a minor child together.
Prosecutors say a dispute linked to arrangements concerning their child is being examined as a possible motive in the killing.
The suspect has not been publicly named by German authorities.
Suspect arrested after allegedly fleeing scene
Police said the man initially left the area after the attack but was located and arrested shortly afterwards following information provided by witnesses.
A judge subsequently issued an arrest warrant, and the suspect is now being held in pre-trial detention while investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding Virginie’s death.
The Frankfurt (Oder) Public Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the case as murder.
Prosecutors say there is an urgent suspicion that the killing was carried out for what German criminal law describes as “base motives”, although the exact circumstances and motive remain under investigation.
The accused has not been convicted and remains legally presumed innocent until the case is determined by a court.
Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann confirmed on September 2 that the suspect had been remanded in custody.
German authorities have also said the accused had no previous criminal record in the country.
He was reportedly living in Germany under a temporary tolerated-stay status, known as a Duldung, which was due to expire on September 10, 2026.
Virginie leaves behind young daughter
Virginie’s family says she leaves behind a three-year-old daughter.
Relatives have launched a fundraising campaign to help return her body to Cameroon for burial.
The appeal, organised by Francine Ngaha Mbakob and Johann Mbakob, says the family is seeking support to cover the costs of repatriation and funeral arrangements.
By Friday morning, September 4, the campaign had raised more than €8,000 from over 400 donors.
The family described Virginie’s death as a devastating loss and appealed for support from friends, relatives and members of the Cameroonian community.
Cameroon embassy confirms death
The Embassy of Cameroon in Germany has also formally confirmed Virginie’s identity and death.
In a communiqué, the embassy said it had contacted German authorities to obtain further information about the killing and the ongoing investigation.
It expressed condolences to Virginie’s family and members of the Cameroonian community in Germany.
The embassy also called for calm as German authorities continue their investigation.
Killing raises fresh concern over violence against women
Virginie’s death has also drawn attention in Germany to violence against women by current or former intimate partners.
German regional broadcaster rbb has reported on the Erkner killing as a suspected femicide, while women’s protection organisations in the Oder-Spree district have also reacted to the case.
The killing happened only days after another woman was killed in the same German district in a separate case involving a former partner.
For Virginie’s family, however, the immediate focus is on bringing her body home to Cameroon and caring for the young daughter she leaves behind.
German investigators are continuing to establish the full sequence of events leading up to the attack and the motive behind it.