An autopsy on the body of Austrian doctor Lisa-Maria Kellermeier confirmed that she committed suicide. The reason – the medic became the target of attacks by supporters of conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and anti-vaccine activists, DPA informs.
The preliminary result of the autopsy confirms the version, said a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office in the town of Wels in Upper Austria, BTA reports. “In particular, no evidence of third-party interference was found.”
Officials did not initially plan an autopsy, but complied with a request yesterday from Kellermeier’s relatives.
Yesterday, prosecutors in Bavaria said they were investigating a suspect in the threats against the doctor
The German government has already expressed “deep concern” over the doctor’s suicide. A German government spokesman said it was particularly important for Chancellor Olaf Scholz to condemn threats, violence and incitement, especially when directed at medical staff and doctors. German authorities are cooperating with their Austrian counterparts in the investigation, the spokesman added, and said Berlin would “fight against digital violence with all German constitutional means and the rigor of the law.”
Kellermeier, 36, was known for her public advocacy of COVID-19 vaccines and made frequent media appearances. Before her death, she said she had received death threats and been harassed.
On Friday, Kellermeier was found dead in her office in rural Upper Austria. A few weeks earlier, she closed her practice, saying she had been subjected to massive pressure from opponents of coronavirus vaccines. The doctor felt that she was not sufficiently protected by the police and authorities and, according to her own statements, spent around 100,000 euros on protective measures.
Thousands of people attended a memorial vigil for Kellermeier in central Vienna on Monday.
The man from Upper Bavaria, who is now under investigation in Germany, is suspected of threatening Kellermeier with torture and murder in emails, a Bavarian media group said.
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