Shocking twist in attack leaving Herdecke mayor Iris Stalzer fighting for life as police investigate her teenage children

Police reportedly found signs blood had been cleaned up and the knife was hidden before emergency services were called.

By Katharina Loesche

Daughter allegedly tortured mayor for hours in the cellar

Iris Stalzer's life was temporarily in danger.

sda

According to investigations, the SPD politician and designated mayor of Herdecke, Iris Stalzer, was tortured for hours by her adopted daughter. New details show the extent of the crime - and raise questions about a failed call for help.

Bürgermeisterin mit Messer attackiert

Neue Details im Fall Stalzer: Darum ging die Adoptivtochter (17) auf ihre Mutter los

Herdecke: Einsatzkräfte stehen neben einem Rettungshubschrauber. Die neu gewählte Bürgermeisterin von Herdecke, Iris Stalzer (SPD), ist lebensgefährlich verletzt in ihrer Wohnung gefunden worden.dpa

Chennai: Madras high court on Tuesday refused any relief to a transwoman who wanted to legally adopt a child. The court held that Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 does not provide for legal adoption by a transgender person.For a transgender person to legally adopt a child, the regulation must be amended to include such persons as eligible for adoption, Justice M Dhandapani said. "Unless a writ of mandamus is moved against Union govt seeking to make an appropriate amendment in the Act, the relief sought cannot be granted," the court said.

The court then granted liberty to transwoman K Prithika Yashini, the first transperson appointed sub-inspector of police in TN, to approach Centre seeking an appropriate amendment to the Act enabling a transperson to adopt a child. According to the petitioner, in 2016, she moved the HC since her application for the post of sub-inspector was rejected. With a favourable order from the HC, she was appointed as a sub-inspector and is presently working as an assistant immigration officer.

In 2021, she decided to adopt a child and approached Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). On Sept 22, 2022, the authority rejected her application on the grounds that she cannot legally adopt a child since she is a transgender person. Aggrieved, she moved the present petition challenging the order of CARA. She contended that the rejection of her application amounts to discrimination and infringement of her rights as a transgender person.tnn

German mayor recovering, names daughter as knife attacker

Mark Hallam with AFP, dpa

10/08/2025October 8, 2025

Iris Stalzer, mayor-elect of the west German town of Herdecke, has told investigators it was her adoptive daughter who stabbed her repeatedly in her home this week. Police said Stalzer's life was no longer in danger.

Authorities confirm the arrest of Mayor Iris Stalzer’s adopted teenage son following the Herdecke stabbing that left the SPD mayor critically injured.

Iris Stalzer Stabbing Update: Police Arrest Mayor’s 15-Year-Old Adopted Son in Herdecke

Herdecke, Germany — Authorities have arrested the 15-year-old adopted son of SPD Mayor Iris Stalzer in connection with the shocking stabbing attack that left the mayor critically injured earlier this week. Police confirmed the arrest took place Tuesday afternoon following an intensive investigation near the mayor’s home in the Herrentisch district of Herdecke.

Teen Arrested After Contradictory Statement

According to local reports, the teenager was initially treated as a witness after claiming that “several men” had attacked his mother late Monday night. However, investigators later identified inconsistencies in his account.

The Andhra Pradesh government has suspended Anantapur District Women and Child Welfare and Empowerment Officer, M. Nagamani, for negligence resulting in the death of an infant at the Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA).

The Andhra Pradesh government has suspended Anantapur District Women and Child Welfare and Empowerment Officer, M. Nagamani, for negligence resulting in the death of an infant at the Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA).

The Department for Women and Children on Tuesday issued an order, suspending Nagamani and ordering disciplinary action against her.

The Government Order (GO) said that two-month-old Niroop died on October 3 but there was no immediate intimation on the hospitalisation and death of the child by District Women and Child Welfare and Empowerment Officer.

The death was reported lately after newspapers published the news.

The Victim Rights Centre (VRC) of the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) has submitted comprehensive suggestions before the Kerala High Court for the betterment of adoption and foster care system.The report was submitted by Adv. Parvathi Menon A., Project Co-ordinator of VRC after she was suo motu impleaded by Justice Sobha Annamma Eapen in a writ petition filed by an adoptive...

Kochi: A single mother from Thrissur, who adopted a nine-year-old girl from Delhi in 2021, has approached the Kerala high court seeking to annul the adoption and surrender the child to the child welfare committee (CWC), citing the child's abnormal behaviour and frequent fits of rage over trivial matters.

The petitioner, an unmarried woman, stated in her plea that the child is studying in Class 7. 

She said the girl started showing behavioural issues soon after she was brought home upon completing the adoption process.Over time, the petitioner said, the child's abnormal behaviour and anger intensified. 

She allegedly began stealing money from the petitioner's purse and others, using abusive language and behaving aggressively.

The petitioner further stated that in 2023, she received an email from the district child protection unit in Delhi directing her to produce the child before the court, as the girl was a rape victim. 

Tirupati: The state govt has suspended district women and child welfare officer M Nagamani following the recent death of a two month-old baby Niroop in Anantapur. 

The infant allegedly died due to the negligence of the staff working at the govt-managed specialised adoption agency. Following public outrage, chief minister Chandrababu Naidu had ordered a detailed probe into the incident. 

Taking a serious note of the negligence, the govt issued suspension orders with immediate effect to Nagamani on Tuesday. 

While memos were already issued to the staff at the agency, a detailed probe into the incident is also underway.