Who was Eva Liu? Officials ID American tourist killed in Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle

Eva Liu, a 21-year-old University of Illinois graduate from Naperville, was identified by authorities as the young tourist who was brutally attacked and then fatally pushed into a ravine near Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany, by an American man.

On Wednesday, June 14, Eva Liu, who was on a trip with her college friend, 22-year-old Kelsey Chang, embarked on a hike near the historic Marienbrücke, which is a bridge poised above the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.

During the hike, the two women reportedly encountered a 30-year-old American tourist, who convinced them to follow him down a hidden trail and then attempted to s*xually assault Liu. Chang, who tried to help her friend, was thrown down a steep slope.

The suspect then pushed Liu down the slope, causing her to fall about 50 meters below her friend. Shortly after, the two women were rescued by the Füssen mountain rescue service, who airlifted the victims to a hospital, as per the New York Post. While Chang survived the fall, Liu reportedly succumbed to her injuries.

The unidentified suspect, who was staying in the same hotel as the duo, The Seibel in Munich, was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon and was held in a German prison on murder, attempted murder, and s*xual assault charges.

While authorities withheld the name of the suspect, on Friday, they identified the victims who were attacked by the unnamed assailant.

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Eva Liu, who had a degree in computer science, interned at Microsoft in 2022

Eva Liu (Image via LinkedIn)

As per her Linkedin bio, Eva Liu described herself as an incoming Software Engineer at Microsoft, who had graduated with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Computer Science degree from the University of Illinois in May 2023.

“I’m thrilled to announce that I have graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Master of Computer Science (MCS) degree,” she wrote.

During college, Liu reportedly interned at Microsoft for four months starting in May 2022. Earlier this year, Liu began working as a teaching assistant at Engineering City Scholars in Illinois. Shortly after starting her new position in January 2023, she wrote:

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as TE360 Teaching Assistant for UIUC's Engineering City Scholars!”

The associate chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Robin Kaler told the UK Mirror that they were mourning the loss of Eva Liu, whose life was tragically cut short in a senseless attack.

“Our University of Illinois family is mourning the senseless death of Ms Liu and the attack on Ms Chang. Both had just graduated in May and should have been able to celebrate such an important accomplishment without the fear of such a tragic outcome,” they said.

As per ABC News, Liu and Chang both graduated from Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora with a high school diploma in 2019. The school, in a statement, condoled the loss of its former student and extended its sympathies to the victim's family.