Services to be held this week for Naperville woman killed in Germany as GoFundMe campaign raises more than $130K for family
Visitation and funeral services will be held in Naperville this week for 21-year-old Eva Liu, who died after being attacked and thrown down a 165-foot ravine in Germany two weeks ago.
A GoFundMe.com campaign to help pay for the services and the legal costs associated with bringing her murderer to justice had raised more than $135,000 of its $150,000 goal as of Monday.
“Due to the uncertainties associated with this international case, the cost may become a significant financial burden to the family and could be a critical factor in the proceedings of the criminal and civil lawsuits,” according to the post accompanying the campaign, organized by Liu’s twin sister, Alice. “Funds will be used to cover any legal costs, and expenses of bringing her home, funeral, and memorials.”
Liu’s body was returned to Naperville over the weekend, according to the crowdfunding post, which said visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. Thursday at Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Homes & Crematory in Naperville.
A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Living Water Evangelical Church, also in Naperville, with burial to follow in Naperville Cemetery.
Liu, a May graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was visiting Neuschwanstein Castle, a popular Bavarian tourist site, with friend and fellow U. of I. graduate Kelsey Chang, 22, of Bloomington-Normal, on June 14 when the two were attacked, according to German police.
The women were approached on a hiking path near the Marienbrucke, a pedestrian bridge over a gorge close to the castle, by a man identified by police as Troy Bohling, 30, of Lincoln Park, Michigan, who offered to show them a hidden spot with a more scenic view.
Police said the man allegedly attacked Liu and when Chang rushed to her aid, he choked her and pushed down a sleep slope. Liu is believed to have been sexually assaulted before she was pushed into the same ravine, police said.
Liu died of her injuries the following day. Chang survived after getting caught by a tree branch and was released from a hospital a few days later.
A judge has ordered Bohling held in jail pending a potential indictment on possible murder, attempted murder and sexual offense charges, a process police have said can take months.
Both Liu and Chang graduated in 2019 from the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, where Liu was a residential student leader.
In her free time, Liu volunteered at Ray Chinese School in Naperville and served on various club boards in college, the gofundme post said.
After interning with Microsoft in summer 2022, Liu was hired by the Washington-based company and planned to start in July.
According to the GoFundMe post, Liu had an “infectious smile and generous nature that brightened the mood of everyone that came in contact with her. Eva was a talented student, a kind and caring friend, and a lovely daughter. She had a bright future ahead that was unfairly taken away from her.”
More than 2,200 people had made donations to the “Bring Justice for Eva and Help Bring her Home” campaign as of Monday, according to the site.
The top donation was $10,000 from The Asian American Foundation, a nonprofit organization “dedicated to building a safer, more inclusive future for (Asian American and Pacific Islander people) everywhere,” according to its website.
