BAVARIA, GERMANY: A 22-year-old college graduate who was thrown 165 feet off a cliff in Germany was miraculously saved by a fallen tree. Kelsey Chang was recently discharged from the local hospital in Murnau am Staffelesse after suffering minor injuries and bruising from a life-threatening fall.
Chang and her 21-year-old friend Eva Liu were on a hike near the Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau on Wednesday, June 14, when a 30-year-old man attacked them. The unidentified man, who is believed to be from the US, allegedly lured the women to follow him down a secluded trail that led to a "good lookout point" where he physically attacked Chang. Authorities said when Chang attempted to help Liu, the attacker strangled her and pushed her down 164 feet into a ravine. He tried to assault Liu again before pushing her into the gorge. After being located by the Fussen mountain rescue, the women were airlifted to a nearby hospital, where Liu succumbed to her injuries later that day.
Who is Kelsey Chang?
Chang is a recent University of Illinois graduate and received a bachelor’s in computer engineering in May 2023. She and Liu both received their high school diplomas in 2019 from the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora. A statement from the associate chancellor of the UIUC confirmed that the two women had traveled to Germany to celebrate their graduation. Following the incident, the associate chancellor of the UIUC described Liu’s death as "senseless."
"Our University of Illinois family is mourning the senseless death of Ms. Liu and the attack on Ms. Chang. Both had just graduated in May and should have been able to celebrate such an important accomplishment without the fear of such a tragic outcome,” Robin Kaler said in a statement. Recently, a new video of the incident has emerged, which shows just how close the surviving American tourists came to falling even further down the cliff that runs to the south of Neuschwanstein castle. The video also showed that if it weren't for the tree, she may have fallen hundreds of feet more and had a very low chance of surviving.
Suspect was staying at the same hotel as Liu and Chang
Earlier, the Bavarian Police confirmed that they had arrested the attacker, who was being held on charges of murder, attempted murder, and one sexual offense. Following his arrest, it was revealed that the two women and their attacker had been staying at the budget Seibel Hotel in the center of Munich, around 50 miles away from the castle. They traveled by coach to Neuschwanstein with other tourists. The police also declared that the man "had his say in court” after declining to speak with detectives. "We couldn't verify yet which US state the suspect is from. Inquiries are still ongoing via German and American authorities," a Bavarian police spox told the Daily Mail.