Image copyright EPA Image caption Ecaterina Andronescu (pictured) was dismissed after a controversial remark about the case of Alexandra Macesanu

Romania's prime minister has fired her education minister over her "deeply wrong" comments about a kidnapping case.

In a TV interview earlier this week, Ecaterina Andronescu said she was taught "not to get in cars with strangers".

Alexandra Macesanu, 15, was abducted west of the capital, Bucharest, last Wednesday.

The suspect, 65-year-old Gheorghe Dinca, told police he killed Alexandra.

Forensic tests confirmed that Alexandra's DNA was found in human remains at Mr Dinca's home, investigators have said.

The Romanian Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila, said Ecaterina Andronescu's remarks about a teen's abduction show a "lack of understanding". Ms Andronescu has said she did not intend to blame the victim or her parents.

The education minister is the latest Romanian government official to lose her job over the case, which has caused public outcry.

Romania's police chief Ioan Buda has been sacked and interior minister Nicolae Moga has stepped down, but critics are demanding more resignations.

Authorities have been criticised for what is seen as their slow response to Alexandra's three emergency calls.

What happened to Alexandra?

Alexandra disappeared last Wednesday while hitchhiking to her home in the southern city of Caracal, police said.

Image copyright Alexandru Cumpanasu's Facebook Image caption Alexandra Macesanu, 15, called police three times during her kidnapping

Police waited for 19 hours to search the property where she was being held, by which time she was presumed dead.

On Tuesday, Alexandra's uncle, Alexandru Cumpanasu, released what he said was a transcript of her calls to emergency number 112.

In one conversation, she pleaded with an officer to "please stay with me on the line, I'm really scared", only to be told other calls were being dealt with, according to the transcript.

Who is the suspect?

Suspect Gheorghe Dinca, who is in custody, has told police he killed Alexandra.

The 65-year-old also admitted killing another teenage girl, 18-year-old Luiza Melencu, who has been missing since April.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Romanian police officers escort suspect Gheorghe Dinca (C) to his home for a search

Mr Dinca's lawyer, Alexandru Bogdan, told Romania's national news agency Agerpres on Sunday that his client had "confessed [to] his crimes".

Police found human remains, including blood stains and bones, during searches of Mr Dinca's home.

Initially, police did not rule out the possibility Alexandra was still alive.

But in a statement on Saturday, the organised crime unit leading the investigation said laboratory analysis so far found "the genetic profile of one person, Alexandra Macesanu".

Her uncle Alexandru Cumpanasu, who has been acting as a spokesman for the family, wrote on Facebook: "I couldn't save this wonderful child's life.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protesters chant "resign" at a rally following alleged mishandling of the case

Locals in Caracal, whose population is around 30,000, told AFP news agency that Alexandra's case has eroded their trust in authorities.

"I'm afraid to walk down the streets, you can imagine. We never saw such a thing in our town", a woman living near the suspect's house said. </s> Romania's prime minister has fired her education minister over her "deeply wrong" comments about a kidnapping case.

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said Ecaterina Andronescu's remarks about a teen's abduction show a "lack of understanding".

Alexandra Macesanu, 15, was kidnapped west of the capital, Bucharest, last Wednesday.

Ms Andronescu said on TV she was taught "not to get in cars with strangers".

The comments, Ms Dancila wrote in a Facebook post, were irresponsible, but Ms Andronescu said she did not intend to blame the victim or her parents.
• Romania to have first female prime minister

The education minister is the latest Romanian government official to lose her job over the case, which has caused public outcry.

Romania's police chief Ioan Buda has been sacked and interior minister Nicolae Moga has stepped down, but critics are demanding more resignations.

Authorities have been criticised for what is seen as their slow response to Alexandra's three emergency calls.

Alexandra disappeared last Wednesday while hitchhiking to her home in the southern city of Caracal, police said.

Police waited for 19 hours to search the property where she was being held, by which time she was presumed dead.

On Tuesday, Alexandra's uncle, Alexandru Cumpanasu, released what he said was a transcript of her calls to emergency number 112.

In one conversation, she pleaded with an officer to "please stay with me on the line, I'm really scared", only to be told other calls were being dealt with, according to the transcript.

Who is the suspect?

Suspect Gheorghe Dinca, who is in custody, has told police he killed Alexandra.

The 65-year-old also admitted killing another teenage girl, 18-year-old Luiza Melencu, who has been missing since April.

Mr Dinca's lawyer, Alexandru Bogdan, told Romania's national news agency Agerpres on Sunday that his client had "confessed [to] his crimes".

Police found human remains during a search of Mr Dinca's home but are yet to confirm whether they match the DNA of either Alexandra or Luiza.
• The women killed on one day around the world

The results of DNA tests are set to be announced next week, according to local media reports.

Police said they suspected the human remains found at the property - which were sent for testing - belonged to the girls.

On Friday, investigators said they had received preliminary forensics results, but would only release them pending further analysis. </s> Prime minister Viorica Dancila announced on Friday, August 2, that she decided to dismiss education minister Ecaterina Andronescu following a controversial remark the minister made on TV related to the kidnapping of a 15-year old girl. Culture minister Daniel Breaz is to be in charge of the education portfolio as well until a permanent minister is appointed.

Referring to the tragedy in Caracal, Ecaterina Andronescu said in a TV show that the 15-year-old who was presumably killed by her kidnapper after hitchhiking shouldn’t have gotten into the man’s car. “Still, my parents taught me not to get in a car with a stranger," she said in a talk show at Antena 3, according to local G4media.ro.

"For example, Alexandra – I looked into it at the School Inspectorate – was going to school, she had a (transport) subscription. What determined her to hitchhike? I think that we should, at the beginning of the school year, introduce a child protection system in all schools and teach them to protect themselves, to stay away from such situations. I learned this at home... I think that these things should also be repeated at school,” Andronescu elaborated in the TV show.

The prime minister reacted and decided on Friday to dismiss Ecaterina Andronescu “for deeply wrong statements made recently in a TV show.”

“These are statements that show Mrs. Andronescu’s lack of understanding - in particular, of the Caracal case and, in general, of how we should protect our children from kidnappings, aggression, abuse, and human trafficking. It is an irresponsible attitude, which does not reflect the Government's position,” Dancila wrote on her Facebook page.

Meanwhile, Ecaterina Andronescu said that she learned from the television that she was dismissed and that the PM did not inform her about this decision, according to Digi24.ro. She also tried to explain her statement, arguing that what she actually meant to say was that the school should teach children to protect themselves.

“My intention was to say that if parents do not tell them, we at school have an obligation to help children understand how to stay safe from criminals. We were planning to start a campaign in the fall, to educate them,” Andronescu said. “My intention was not to accuse Alexandra (e.n. the 15-year-old girl who was kidnapped and possibly killed in Caracal) or her parents. That’s not how I thought things, I’m not that kind of person.”

Ecaterina Andronescu is the second minister to leave the Romanian government in a single week, amid the scandal surrounding the tragedy in Caracal. The first to leave was interior minister Nicolae Moga, who decided to resign after only six days in office.

Alexandra Macesanu, 15, was kidnapped on July 24 after hitchhiking. Her abductor is a car mechanic from the town of Caracal, who also admitted to killing Alexandra and another girl who went missing in mid-April. However, nothing is certain so far, as the police haven’t found the two bodies. But the entire case triggered a big scandal after information about the authorities’ slow intervention started to surface.

Alexandra managed to call the emergency number 112 three times in the morning of July 25 but the police managed to locate the main suspect many hours later and searched his home only on Friday morning. The girl was not there when they broke into the house, but they found possible human remains in a barrel outside. Media reports said that the forensic anthropology analysis on the bones found in the barrel identified the remains as belonging to a girl between 12 and 17 years old. However, the analysis doesn’t say if the bones belong to Alexandra or not, and a DNA test expected next week is to clarify that. </s> Romania's education minister, Ecaterina Andronescu, has been sacked over "deeply wrong" comments she made about a kidnapping case.

Prime Minister Viorica Dancila wrote on Facebook that Andronescu's statements were "irresponsible", "showed a lack of understanding" and "did not reflect the government's position".

Andronescu had said that Alexandra Macesanu, 15, who was abducted, sexually abused and eventually killed, "should have known not to get into strangers' cars".

Macesanu went missing on July 24 as she was hitchhiking back home near the southern city of Caracal.

Read more: 'Arrogance, neglect and disdain': Uncle of 'murdered' Romanian teenager slams authorities

The authorities' handling of her disappearance — and that of another 18-year-old girl last seen in April — has sparked national outrage after it emerged that she had called the European emergency number three times throughout her ordeal.

Authorities took 19 hours to locate her and secure unnecessary search warrants.

A 65-year-old mechanic, Georghe Dinca, admitted killing the two teenage girls, his lawyer announced last Sunday.

The scandal has already led to the resignation of the Interior Minister and the sacking of the country's police chief with President Klaus Iohannis telling reporters earlier this week that an inquiry presented at a Supreme Defence Council had identified several "grave deficiencies".

Macesanu's uncle, Alexandru Cumpanasu, who has been acting as the family's spokesperson, said late on Friday that DNA tests carried out on bone fragments had confirmed Macesanu is dead. </s> Thousands of protesters have rallied in Romania against authorities for their slow response to a teenager's kidnapping and murder. The 15-year-old girl called emergency services more than 100 times, saying she had been kidnapped by a man while hitchhiking home. She was found dead in the home of her suspected captor after authorities took almost 20 hours to locate her. The country's top police officer and two other officials have since been fired over the handling of the case. Image: AP

The kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old teenage girl Alexandra Macesanu has stunned Romania and the rest of the world.

But the story has taken an unusual twist, with Romania’s Prime Minister being forced to axe her education minister for making “deeply wrong” comments about the murder case.

Macesanu, 15, was kidnapped west of the capital in Bucharest last Wednesday.

Romania’s Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu said on TV she was taught “not to get in cars with strangers”.

Despite trying to backtrack and defend her comments, saying she wasn’t trying to blame the teen girl or her family, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said her comments showed a “lack of understanding”.

Ms Dancila wrote in a Facebook post that they were irresponsible.

The case of the 15-year-old who was abducted while trying to hitchhike home has shaken the country and led to several high-level resignations after a public outcry.

Although Macesanu managed to call emergency services three times and give clues as to her location, it took police almost 19 hours to intervene.

The slow response sparked huge protests against the authorities’ handling of the case, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets of Bucharest last weekend.

The sacking comes as the DNA of the missing Romanian teenage girl whose case has sparked massive protests has been found in calcinated human remains at the suspect’s home, confirming her death.

“Laboratory analysis done until now revealed the genetic profile of one person, Alexandra Macesanu”, the prosecutor’s office for organised crime said in a statement.

The suspect is Gheorghe Dinca, a 65-year-old man who was arrested.

He confessed to killing the teenage girl but also a second girl, Luiza, 18, who had gone missing in April.

The suspect accompanied the police to his house on Friday in search of evidence.

The search was to continue on Saturday.

Prosecutors have found blood stains and bones in Dinca’s house.

There has been a major political fallout from the case, with four high-ranking officials being sacked or resigning in the past week.

In Caracal, a southern town of almost 30,000 inhabitants, locals said the case has shattered what little trust they had in the police and made fear part of their daily lives. </s> Romanian prime minister Viorica Dancila has sacked her education minister as public outrage continues to swirl around the murder of a teenage girl who called in vain for police help.

Ms Dancila fired Ecaterina Andronescu on Friday for comments she made about Alexandra Macesanu (15), who is thought to have been abducted and killed by mechanic Gheorghe Dinca last week in the southern Romanian city of Caracal.

Macesanu dialled an emergency number three times and told police she had been kidnapped and raped and needed to be rescued, but it took officers 19 hours to find and enter the house where she seems to have been held by Mr Dinca (65).

Police found some of Macesanu’s belongings and unidentified human remains at the property, and Mr Dinca admitted to abducting and killing her and Luiza Melencu, (18) who went missing in Caracal in April.

Results of DNA tests on the remains have not been released, but Romanian media say experts believe the bone fragments are from the body of a teenage girl.

The case has exposed yet again the weakness of vital public services in Romania, where there is deep frustration with the lack of professionalism and rampant corruption that people encounter in their dealings with the state.

Interior minister Nicolae Moga resigned this week after firing national police chief Ioan Buda and two senior officials in Olt county, where Caracal is located.

Ms Andronescu was dismissed for saying during a television interview: “My parents taught me not to get into a car with a stranger . . . I found out from the school inspectorate that Alexandra had a travel pass. What made her hitchhike?”

Romanians’ anger has focused not only on the police’s failure to rescue Macesanu but also on abysmal public transport in much of the country – which forces people of all ages to hitchhike – and government inaction in other areas.

Ms Andronescu insisted on Friday that her “intention was not to accuse Alexandra or her parents”, but she was sacked as anger grew against a scandal-plagued government that has sought to increase its control over the criminal justice system and weaken anti-corruption legislation.

Ms Dancila said Ms Andronescu’s “profoundly wrong statements” revealed “an attitude lacking in responsibility, which does not reflect the position of the government”.

Romanian media have reported that the deputy police chief in Olt county sought help in finding Macesanu from the leader of a local criminal gang, whose information led police to search properties linked to members of a rival clan.

When police finally found their way to Mr Dinca’s house, they wasted more time by waiting for a search warrant that was not needed in such an emergency.

“Please stay with me on the line, I’m really scared,” Macesanu said in her last call to police, according to a transcript released by relatives.

“I can’t stay on the line with you, miss, I have other calls,” an officer replied.

“Stay there, a police car will come without fail, in two, three minutes . . . calm down, the car is en route.” </s> The kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old teenage girl Alexandra Macesanu has stunned Romania and the rest of the world.

But the story has taken an unusual twist, with Romania’s Prime Minister being forced to axe her education minister for making “deeply wrong” comments about the murder case.

Macesanu, 15, was kidnapped west of the capital in Bucharest last Wednesday.

Romania’s Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu said on TV she was taught “not to get in cars with strangers”.

Despite trying to backtrack and defend her comments, saying she wasn’t trying to blame the teen girl or her family, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said her comments showed a “lack of understanding”.

Ms Dancila wrote in a Facebook post that they were irresponsible.

The case of the 15-year-old who was abducted while trying to hitchhike home has shaken the country and led to several high-level resignations after a public outcry.

Although Macesanu managed to call emergency services three times and give clues as to her location, it took police almost 19 hours to intervene.

The slow response sparked huge protests against the authorities’ handling of the case, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets of Bucharest last weekend.

The sacking comes as the DNA of the missing Romanian teenage girl whose case has sparked massive protests has been found in calcinated human remains at the suspect’s home, confirming her death.

“Laboratory analysis done until now revealed the genetic profile of one person, Alexandra Macesanu”, the prosecutor’s office for organised crime said in a statement.

The suspect is Gheorghe Dinca, a 65-year-old man who was arrested.

He confessed to killing the teenage girl but also a second girl, Luiza, 18, who had gone missing in April.

The suspect accompanied the police to his house on Friday in search of evidence.

The search was to continue on Saturday.

Prosecutors have found blood stains and bones in Dinca’s house.

There has been a major political fallout from the case, with four high-ranking officials being sacked or resigning in the past week.

In Caracal, a southern town of almost 30,000 inhabitants, locals said the case has shattered what little trust they had in the police and made fear part of their daily lives. </s> DNA test results have officially confirmed that a kidnapped 15-year-old Romanian girl is dead, prosecutors said on Saturday.

"Laboratory analysis done until now revealed the genetic profile of one person, Alexandra Macesanu," the prosecutor's office for organized crime said in a statement.

Macesanu's uncle Alexandru Cumpanasu, who has been acting as spokesman for the family, said late on Friday on his Facebook page that the justice minister "had notified my cousin," on the DNA results.

The 15-year-old was last seen on July 24. On the morning of July 25, she managed to call the emergency services three times, telling them that she had been kidnapped, raped, and was still being held against her will. However, she was not able to give the exact address of her location, and it took police almost 19 hours to intervene.

A 65-year-old man from the southern town of Caracal has been arrested as a suspect in the killing. He confessed to killing Macesanu as well as a second girl, an 18-year-old, who had gone missing in April.

A criminal investigation into charges of rape, murder and trafficking minors is ongoing.

The suspect accompanied the police to his house on Friday in search of evidence. The search was to continue on Saturday. Prosecutors have reportedly found blood stains and bones in his house.

The authorities' slow response has triggered huge protests in Romania. The outcry has led to several high-level resignations and dismissals.

The country's interior minister has resigned from his post, while the chief of police and other senior officials were fired. President Klaus Iohannis urged "resignations of all those who mishandled this case which had such dramatic consequences."

The latest high-profile dismissal was that of the education minister, Ecaterina Andronescu, who was fired after saying: "I was taught not to get into a car with a stranger."

She later said that she received news of her dismissal from the media and that her intention had not been to blame the victim.

In Caracal, a town of almost 30,000 inhabitants, locals said the case has shattered what little trust they had in the police and made fear part of their daily lives.

"I'm afraid to walk down the streets, you can imagine. We never saw such a thing in our town," a woman living near the suspect's house told the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> The family of a missing Romanian girl, who called police three times for help to say she had been beaten and raped by a man who had kidnapped her while she was hitchhiking, have released what they say are recordings of the phone calls.

"Please stay with me on the line, I'm really scared," Alexandra Macesanu told a police officer while crying during her third and last call, according to a transcript released on Facebook by her uncle Alexandru Cumpanasu.

The suspect, 65-year-old mechanic Gheorghe Dinca from Caracal in the south of the country, has told police he killed the 15-year-old and another girl.

The teenager, who is now presumed dead, disappeared on 24 July - and Luiza Melencu, 18, was last seen in April.

Romania's national police chief and two county officials were fired last week following a public outcry over the handling of the case.

Police secured a search warrant even though one was not legally necessary, and then waited outside the property, entering it 19 hours after Alexandra called.

Mr Cumpanasu said he obtained details of his niece's calls to the police from the Special Telecommunications Unit (STS) in charge of directing emergency calls.

"I can't stay on the line with you, miss, I have other calls," replied officer Vasilica Viorel Florescu, according to the transcript and audio recordings, which have not been independently verified.

"Stay there, a police car will come without fail, in two-three minutes... what the hell, calm down, the car is en route."

Mr Florescu, a police officer from the nearby town of Slatina, told local media that he talked to Alexandra twice and gave her details to Caracal police.

He told private television station Romania TV he had disconnected the call so local police could get in touch with her.

Mr Florescu said: "I repeatedly told her to stay calm and that a police car was coming".

On Saturday, thousands of people protested against the government at the slow response.

President Klaus Iohannis has criticised police for "mistakes and hesitations" and has warned of "harsh punishment" for everybody found to be at fault.

Prosecutors have established both girls were hitching rides to their villages from Caracal when they were kidnapped.

Forensics tests have yet to confirm the identity of human remains found at the suspect's home.
Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă sacks Minister of Education Ecaterina Andronescu for her controversial comments in a television interview about murdered 15-year-old girl Alexandra Măceșanu, saying she was "taught not to get in cars with strangers". A 65-year-old man has since admitted killing Alexandra Măceșanu and another teenage girl who has been missing since April.