Suspect on the run after two found dead in village near Ramstein Air Base, police say

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Police continued searching Tuesday night for a suspect in two villages near Ramstein Air Base after two people were found dead in their Weilerbach home earlier in the day.

The suspect was identified by Kaiserslautern police as Daniel Mentel, 38, who was described as about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, with short curly hair. He was last seen wearing green work pants, a dark softshell jacket and black work shoes, police said in a statement.

Mentel is suspected in the killing of a man, 65, and a woman 60, who were found dead Tuesday morning in a residential building, Kaiserslautern police said.
Weilerbach Mayor Anja Pfeiffer and police advised against travel to the Weilerbach area, which is a couple of miles from the Ramstein Air Base east gate and home to many families associated with the base. Police also advised those living in the nearby Rodenbach area to shelter in place.

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“We cannot rule out that there is still a risk for people,” Kaiserslautern police spokesman Michael Hummel said Tuesday evening.

Mentel is also suspected of having started two fires in the nearby villages of Mackenbach and Erzenhausen late Monday night and Tuesday, police said. The fires caused significant property damage but no one was hurt, police said.

Pfeiffer posted on Facebook at about 5 p.m. that the threat level had lessened enough for parents in Weilerbach to pick up their children if necessary.

Earlier in the day, police asked people in the Weilerbach area to remain inside while they posted checkpoints and roadblocks.

Around a dozen school buses that serve military schools in the area were canceled, Humberto Medina, head of transportation for the Department of Defense Education Activity school district that serves the Kaiserslautern area, said in an email sent to parents.

A German police van patrols a residential neighborhood in Weilerbach, Germany, after two people were found dead at a house in the town Tuesday, March 9, 2021.
“Due to the current events in the village of Weilerbach, if possible please pick up your children from their schools,” the message said.

Police asked anyone with information regarding the suspect or the incident to call the Westpfalz police at 0631-369-29-99.