The three, a 16-year-old girl, a 15-year-old girl, and a 16-year-old boy, are suspected of the murder of a 49-year-old man that happened on Tuesday, and a court placed the two girls suspected of the crime in custody on Wednesday night, at the prosecutor's office's request.

On Tuesday, April 22, around 11 p.m., the attention of a PPA patrol on Jaama tänav in the town was attracted by a woman waving her hands, who then directed the officers to a man lying on the ground.

The man had been beaten and showed no signs of life, prompting the officers to begin resuscitation attempts. An ambulance also arrived at the scene, but unfortunately, neither the medics nor the PPA officers were able to save the man's life, and he died at the scene.

Andrus Reimaa, head of the Tartu PPA station, said the authority had immediately launched a criminal investigation into the incident, and had started the process of collecting evidence.

"Investigators visited the scene, checked security camera recordings, and spoke with potential witnesses. Based on the amassed evidence, it was established that there are grounds to suspect two underage girls and one underage male in the beating of the 49-year-old man. The police detained them on Wednesday and charged them with murder, specifically killing in a torturous and cruel manner," said Reimaa.

None of the suspects had any previous criminal convictions, though they are known to the PPA in regard to misdemeanor offences. The PPA are also thoroughly examining the suspects' precise connection to the victim, any motive, and all other circumstances.

"We always respond seriously to incidents of youth violence. The 16-year-old and 15-year-old girls, as well as the 16-year-old boy suspected in this crime, have had previous encounters with the PPA in misdemeanor proceedings, but not related to violence. We are continuing the investigation to determine why the events of Tuesday night ended with such tragic consequences," Reimaa added.

Raul Heido, prosecutor from the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, said according to initial investigations, the victim and the suspects were acquainted, and their relationship may have been related to the subsequent violent attack.

Heido said: "Based on initial evidence, the girls played a greater role in the crime, and there is reason to believe that if released, they might continue committing crimes. To prevent this, we requested the court to detain the girls suspected of the crime, and last night they were taken into custody for two months."

Based on evidence collected so far, the boy's role in the crime was not central, and according to current information, there is no danger that he would evade proceedings or continue committing crimes. Consequently, the prosecutor's office found it had no grounds to request from the court his detention.

The criminal investigation is being conducted by the PPA's Southern Prefecture and guided by the Southern District Prosecutor's Office, as is standard practice.

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