A German bestselling novelist was found dead on a houseboat in Hamburg on Tuesday morning. Alexandra Frohlich's body was found by her son on the Elbe River, according to The Guardian.
The 'Death is a Certainty' author was shot, authorities confirmed. The case has been handed over to the murder investigation team after it was confirmed that Ms Frohlich died after she had been violently attacked.
She died between midnight and 5:30 am, the report said.
Authorities told The Guardian, "According to current information, relatives found the 58-year-old woman lifeless on her houseboat and alerted the fire brigade, who were only able to confirm the woman's death."
Investigators are looking for possible witnesses who might have seen strange activity on or near the long cerise houseboat where Ms Frohlich lived. Her houseboat was located in the eastern Moorfleet area on the Holzhafen bank of the Elbe River.
A police spokesperson also said the investigators were looking for possible suspects and whether Ms Frohlich knew the killer. No further details related to the incident were shared since the investigation was still underway.
According to the report from The Guardian, the divers were immediately sent to the crime scene, as there were speculations that the weapon used in the crime might have been thrown into the Elbe River.
Ms Frohlich began her career as a journalist in Ukraine's Kyiv, where she founded a women's magazine. Before taking up writing novels, she worked as a freelance journalist in Germany and wrote for women's magazines and others, like Stern.
She published her debut novel, My Russian Mother-in-Law and Other Disasters, in 2012, which sold over 50,000 copies. In 2014, she published a follow-up novel, Travelling with Russians, and then a crime novel, People Always Die, in 2016. Her last novel was in 2019, named Dirty Hands.
Ms Frohlich is survived by three sons.
