BUCHAREST -- Romania's Interior Minister Nicolae Moga has announced he is stepping down, the latest departure of a top official amid public outrage over the suspected kidnapping, rape, and murder of a teenage girl.
Moga said on July 30 that he was stepping down effective immediately, just six days after being sworn into office, following talks with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila.
On July 27, thousands of people protested in Bucharest over the slow response by police to the disappearance of 15-year-old Alexandra Macesanu near the southern Romanian city of Caracal.
Romania's national police chief was fired on July 26 amid criticism that it took police 19 hours last week to locate Macesanu, who had called the national emergency dispatcher three times giving clues about her location.
On July 27, thousands of people protested in Bucharest over the slow response by police to the disappearance of 15-year-old Alexandra Macesanu near the southern Romanian city of Caracal.
Adding to the growing wave of public outrage over the handling of the case, authorities on July 29 published a short transcript of the first call Macesanu made to the 112 emergency line, during which the operator told the captive girl to hang up because she was "keeping the line blocked."
Police said they found human bones and jewelry at the site where Macesanu was thought to be held – a disused automobile repair shop.
The owner of the building, 65-year-old Gheorghe Dinca, admitted to murdering both Macesanu and 18-year-old Luiza Melencu, who went missing in April.
But so far authorities have not confirmed that the bones found on Dinca's property match the DNA of either Macesanu or Melencu.
