Chinese PhD Student and Baby Killed in Germany; Husband Arrested

A 31-year-old Chinese PhD candidate in Germany and her 2-month-old baby girl were killed in their Düsseldorf apartment, allegedly by the child's father, a 43-year-old Slovakian man, local police reported recently.

The tragedy unfolded on the morning of November 29 in Oberbilker Allee, a residential street in Düsseldorf. At around 11am, the man called emergency services claiming his wife was "in distress," Jimu News reported, citing a local police statement. When medical personnel arrived, they reportedly encountered him holding a knife. They withdrew and alerted police, who entered the apartment and found the woman and her infant daughter already dead. According to police, the suspect confessed at the scene, admitting that he had killed his wife and their child.

Investigators later seized a knife and a hatchet from the home. Neighbors recalled hearing heated arguments shortly before the emergency call. The man was found with severe injuries that appeared to be self-inflicted. Police have issued a preliminary arrest warrant on suspicion of homicide, though he remains hospitalized and has yet to undergo formal interrogation or detention procedures.

In China, grief quickly followed. The victim, identified by her family as 31-year-old Zhu Ruimin, was studying in Germany on a government scholarship. Her younger brother yesterday confirmed to Hongxing News that the suspect is her husband, Erik, a Slovakian national working as a postdoctoral researcher in plant biochemistry at the University of Düsseldorf. He said he later spoke with Erik's elder brother, who told him that Erik "cried and admitted he did it."

Zhu's family described her as a hardworking scholar from a modest farming household in Heze, Shandong Province, where her parents earn a living through agricultural labor. After completing her studies at Shandong Agricultural University, she was recommended for postgraduate research without exams and traveled to Germany in 2020. This year, she was nearing her fifth year of doctoral study and close to graduation.

Her family said the couple met several years ago when Erik studied in China as an exchange student. They were only friends at the time, but after Zhu moved to Germany, they reunited and began dating. Last summer, they returned to China, registered their marriage, and traveled with Erik's parents in Beijing before heading back to Germany.

The family told Hongxing News they video-called every one to two days, and she never expressed any concerns about her relationship.

"She showed no signs of anything unusual," her brother told Hongxing News. "She even said that after graduation, they planned to return to China to work and live together."

Following the murder, the Chinese embassy arranged legal assistance and is helping the family secure emergency visas. Meanwhile, Zhu's classmates and former lab colleagues have launched fundraising efforts to help cover travel and legal costs.