Naperville Woman Dies, Friend Hurt After Being Pushed Off German Slope

SCHWANGAU, GERMANY — A 21-year-old Naperville woman died and a 22- year-old Bloomington woman was badly hurt after a man pushed them off a slope outside of Neuschwanstein castle in Germany Wednesday, according to NBC 5.

German police say it appears an American man lured Eva Liu, of Naperville, and Kelsey Chang, of Bloomington, toward the Marienbrücke vantage point while they were hiking around 2 p.m.

He then attacked Liu, police say, which prompted Chang to intervene. Chang was pushed off the 165-foot slope, and the man tried to sexually assault Liu before pushing her off the slope as well, according to reports.

Liu and Chang were taken to a nearby hospital, where Liu died of her injuries, ABC reported.

The women had been visiting Germany shortly after graduating from the University of Illinois.

In a statement to ABC, the University of Illinois confirmed that Liu received a bachelor of science degree in computer science in May, while Chang graduated with a degree in computer engineering.

"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," the statement said. "Our thoughts are with Ms. Chang as she recovers and with both of their families as they grieve."

The 30-year-old American man was taken into custody in the wake of the incident, police in Germany said, putting out a plea for information and images that could aid in their investigation.

Anyone who witnessed the crime or made "suspicious observations" is asked to contact police. Anyone with photos or videos taken the day of the slaying in the vicinity of the crime are also asked to upload them to the Bavarian police website.

More via NBC 5