Woman believed murdered by visitor to couch surfing website
A woman found smothered to death at her apartment in Vienna is believed to have met her killer on a couchsurfing website.
Lauren Mann, a 25-year-old au pair, had advertised her apartment in Austria on CouchSurfing, where three previous visitors had posted reviews of her accommodation.
She was found dead on January 25 after her employers contacted police when she failed to pick up their child after school.
Prosecutors are trying to extradite a 23-year-old Gambian asylum seeker who is alleged to have been staying with Mann, but he travelled to Switzerland after her death.
He has been arrested and a Swiss judge has ordered his extradition. He has 30 days to appeal but if no appeal takes place, he will be deported next month.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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