U of I Grad Killed in Germany allegedly by another American

 A woman killed in Germany this week after a man reportedly threw her and a friend down a ravine near the famed Neuschwanstein Castle was from Naperville, according to media reports.

The two women, identified as Eva Liu, 21, and Kelsey Chang, 22, of Bloomington, by the Daily Mail, were walking on a trail in Schwangau Wednesday when they were approached by a 30-year-old American man who offered to show them a hidden scenic lookout near the Marienbrücke, a pedestrian bridge that offers a view of the castle, Bavarian police said.

The man, who is in police custody but not yet identified, steered them to an area where he attacked Liu, police said. When Chang attempted to stop him, he threw her down a 165-foot ravine. After attempting to sexually assault Liu, he threw her down the same steep slope, the report said.

A mountain rescue team recovered the women, with Chang taken to a local hospital in serious condition and Liu transported by helicopter to another hospital, where she died the next day, police said.

Police are holding the suspect as they investigate him on charges of murder, attempted murder and sexual assault, according to The Associated Press.

Liu and Chang were longtime friends, having graduated together from the Illinois Math & Science Academy in Aurora in 2019 and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May. Both received degrees in computer science.

Liu had completed an internship at Microsoft as a software engineering intern last year and had been working as a teaching assistant for University of Illinois’ Engineering City Scholars program in Chicago, according to her LinkedIn profile.