Eight police officers in Serbia have been detained over the death of a man in police custody, connected to the murder case of the little girl Danka. The suspect they are linked to is the brother of the main suspect in the case. He died after suffering injuries following alleged violence during an interrogation at a police station in Bor. According to unofficial reports from Serbian media, the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Niš is apparently preparing further arrests. The detained officers belong to the Special Units of the Criminal Police Directorate. The man was arrested on 6 April 2024. The police suspected he helped hide his brother’s role in concealing the girl’s body. The following day, he died in police custody. The Serbian interior ministry initially said the man died of natural causes. A later autopsy in Belgrade found he died from severe injuries caused by intensive violence. The report cited bilateral rib fractures, widespread bruising across his body, and injuries to the soles of his feet, where tissue detached from the bone after heavy blows. In the meantime, a trial has started before the Higher Court in Negotin against the two main accused in connection with Danka’s murder. The girl disappeared on 26 March 2024 in Banjsko Polje near Bor, sparking a large search operation involving police, rescue services and private individuals. Her body has not been found. The indictment says the two men, who worked at the local utility company “Vodovod” at the time, used a service vehicle to take the girl. Prosecutors allege they loaded her into the car, killed her, then transported the body to a landfill, later hiding it at an unknown location. One main accused initially admitted to the allegations but later withdrew the confession. After learning of his brother’s death, he said the confession was forced through violence and threats. So far, no DNA traces of the girl have been found in the service vehicle, and no other direct material evidence has been publicly reported. The prosecution is seeking life imprisonment. At the latest, the eight officers are detained and linked to the custody death, while the Danka murder trial is under way in Negotin.