Lorenz Schlittenbauer, who had been in a relationship with Viktoria and might have even been Josef's father, became a suspect, but he was cleared of suspicion when police couldn't place him at the crime scene. As a result, the Hinterkaifeck murders remain and might always remain unsolved. 60. The investigation, by all accounts, was badly botched. It was about an hours drive from Munich and a half-mile behind hinter, the town of Kaifeck. She had often heard movement upstairs when there was nobody home. Did a Lost Roman Legion Wind Up in Liqian, Northwestern China. Christian Limmer. Interesting history topics are just a click away. Someone had fed the livestock and prepared food. The original Hinterkaifeck farm as it looked in April 1922 shortly after the murders. As Mental Floss explains, the members of the Gruber family likely all died instantly, with the exception of the 7-year-old Czilia. According to that interview, Schlittenbauer and Viktoria began sleeping together toward the end of 2018. These bodies were found in the barn covered with hay, while the maid Maria and little Josef were found inside the farmhouse, covered with sheets and a dress, respectively. He also acted rather nonchalantly about finding the bodies. According to Mental Floss, the Hinterkaifeck murders had to have been perpetrated by someone familiar with farmwork, as the killer maintained the farm for days and was handy with a mattock, but not someone who lived on the Gruber farm itself. Crime scene of the Hinterkaifeck murders in Germany where a family of six were slaughtered with something like a pickaxe. Tansy Bradshaw. Some also believed that Viktoria had an incestual relationship with her father and that one of them killed everyone before killing themself, but this theory was also abandoned after it was confirmed that none of the injuries could be self-inflicted. Another strange fact that went unremarked upon until after the murders was that the Grubers' previous maid had quit six month prior due to the fact that she believed the farm was haunted. WebThe Hinterkaifeck Mystery - Bavaria 1921 and the end of a long cold winter. The family didnt have any known enemies, so their murders were especially unusual. The Hinterkaifeck killings continue to be one of Germanys most famous true crime cases, and the brutality of the case is especially sad knowing that it will likely never be solved. In the immediate days before the discovery of the Hinterkaifeck murders, a few people had gone to the Gruber homestead. The Hinterkaifeck killings continue to be one of Germanys most famous true crime cases, and the brutality of the case is especially sad knowing that it will likely never be solved. He is the author of books on art, history, and architecture. Therefore, the police needed to confirm his death. 2023 Casefile True Crime Podcast. The mailman delivered the mail the next day on Saturday, but the family was already dead, and their letters lay untouched. It was easy for investigators to determine the date the Hinterkaifeck murders occurred. A September 13, 2005 photo of Zach and Addie in front of their home in the French Quarter of New Orleans. None of his neighbors subscribed to it, so the postman probably did not accidentally leave it there. All of them showed signs of massive head trauma, and their skulls and faces lay crushed. After looking through these photographs taken by serial killers, look through these harrowing crime scene photos. The police finally closed the file in 1955. Flatline intro and Come play with me intro and outro www.dl-sounds.com, Logo and website design Paulina Szymanska, The murder of Hinterkaifeck Augsburger Zeitung, April 8 1922, The murder of Hinterkaifeck Mnchner Zeitung, April 10 1922, The sixfold robbery in Hinterkaifeck Mnchner Zeitung, August 5 1922, Godless murderers hand fell victim Neue Augsburger Zeitung, July 9 1932, Secret to a seventh corpse Sddeutsche Zeitung, May 17 2010, The chilling story of the Hinterkaifeck killings, Germanys most famous unsolved crime Mental Floss, August 31 2017, The Mysterious Murders of Hinterkaifeck Bedtime Stories, July 2018, With the profiler in Hinterkaifeck Mittelbayerische, October 19 2016, The legacy of the commissioner Donaukurier, October 26 2018, Das Hinterkaifeck-Wiki Hinterkaifeck.net (this is where all official statements, documents and records come from), Footsteps in the Attic: A True Account of the Slayings at the Hinterkaifeck Farmstead Edward Chilvers (Published 2016). I only do research and leave active investigation of these cases to professionals. They walked around the crime scene, poking at the bodies, and destroying evidence. Today, the town goes by the name Waidhofen. Imagine yourself in a dark deserted road with no one in sight. They planned to get married, but Viktorias father interfered, and their relationship ended. Although reportedly killed in WWI, his fellow soldiers never recovered his body. The family was known for keeping to themselves, but neighbors were concerned on April 1, 1922, when the daughter missed school and the entire family missed church where Viktoria was a member of the choir. Lead investigator Georg Reingruber drove from Munich and spent a few hours investigating the scene at the farmhouse. Despite this information, police were unable to find solutions. (Das Wiki). They found the entire farmhouse locked, with no lights on inside. When police asked her later why she believed Hinterkaifeck had ghosts, she said it was because she kept hearing footsteps in the attic and had a constant feeling of being watched. It was readily apparent that they, too, had succumbed to violent blows to their heads. unsolved crimes. On April 4, their neighbors decided to investigate. It covers roughly a fifth of the total land in Germany. After discovering the bodies, Schlittenbauer and the other men alerted their families and fellow neighbors about the gruesome murder scene at the farm. The Hinterkaifeck Murders memorial near the vicinity of the crime scene. However, there is no evidence of this in her police statements. And images like Rhoades' freeze a last moment of horror. WebThe crime scene was only discovered 3 days after the initial murders when neighbors noticed the children had not been attending school or church. A hallway connected the barn to the house. WebCe crime est des plus odieux. Four members of the Gruber family lay bludgeoned to death under the hay. The closest police department to Hinterkaifeck was in Munich, Germany, about 45 miles away. * shudders *, 12 Creepy Real-Life Photos That Seem Straight Out Of A Nightmare, NASA Announces 1 Woman, 3 Men Team For Its Artemis II Moon Crew, 15 Of The Most Evil Men The World Has Ever Seen, The Top 3 Happiest Countries In The World Are Led By Women & Were Not Surprised, The Story Of The Mysterious 200-Year-Old Shipwreck Found Under The 9/11 Ruins In NYC. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. The tool used in the murders was likely a mattock, a pickaxe-like tool used for digging. Her sister had visited the farm that afternoon. However, not long after Karl and Viktoria married in April 1914, Karl left and returned to his parents homestead before he headed off to war. On April 4, their neighbors decided to investigate. The farm was demolished in 1923, and the families were buried in a plot in Waidhofen without their heads after the skulls were sent away for clues and were lost during World War Two. However, when investigators readily found Andreas Grubers supply of cash in the house, they realized the reason for the murder had to be something else. So they walked over to the barn where the entrance to the machinery room was open.
The two of them seem to have died fairly quickly after a number of blows to the head and face. Andreas Gruber (husband Cazillia Gruber): right half of the face smashed, cheek bones protruding, flesh seemed shredded, face caked with blood. What inevitably runs in your head is a montage of unspeakable images, probably the worst things that could happen to you. Inside the house were the bodies of Josef and their maid, Maria Baumgartner. The only thing that was confirmed was that the murderer had to be someone who knew their way around the farm, as they showed expert wielding of the mattock and continued to care for the animals after the family was killed. WebBrowse 25,815 crime scene photos photos and images available, or search for vintage crime scene to find more great photos and pictures. 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When Lorenz Schlittenbauer, a close neighbor, heard about the situation, he gathered two neighbors, Jakob Sigl and Michael Pll, who accompanied him to the Hinterkaifeck farm. However, evidence had become lost and witnesses had passed on, which made it impossible for them to solve the Hinterkaifeck murders. The daughter Viktoria also had her skull shattered, with signs that her face had been hit with a blunt object. This theory is backed up by the footsteps and the strange noises that the previous made had heard. Russell Keith Dardeen, sa femme et sa fille pas encore ne, ainsi que son fils de trois ans, ont t assassins Ina, dans l'Illinois, en 1987. Members of the Gruber-Gabriel family could usually be seen milling about, but in early April 1922, locals noticed that the The father of her son Josef remained a mystery, though she did have a relationship with Lorenz, the man who led the search party to their home. *** Warning: This case involves a child victim ***. She wanted him to marry her, and he was open to it. FOOTSTEPS IN THE ATTIC: A TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE SLAYINGS AT THE HINTERKAIFECK FARMSTEAD - Kindle edition by Chilvers, Edward. The Hinterkaifeck farm was a lonely, quiet place located outside of the Bavarian town in Germany. Good luck sleeping with these images running through your mind. However, when investigators spoke to a few soldiers who said they saw Karls dead body, they stopped pursuing the matter. Police initially suspected traveling men who were going to rob them, but money had been left in the house, ruling out this theory. Cazillia Gabriel (daughter Viktoria Gruber): lower jaw shattered, cervical injury due to shock, severe head injuries. WebWhat happened at Hinterkaifeck Farm reads like a horror story [] Read More. Andreas had blood caked all over his face, which was described as "shredded," with his cheek bones sticking out of his ragged flesh. Since police couldnt come up with any answers, the case remained a mystery. These pictures seem straight out of such a nightmare. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The case has been reopened several times over the past few decades, but theres still no evidence for who committed the murders. Despite this, Chief Detective Konrad Mller held the last interrogations in 1986 before he retired. Possible suspects have All of the bodies were covered, the ones in the barn with hay and the ones inside with sheets and a dress. Some unknown person filed a complaint either in 1914 or 1915 against Andreas Gruber and his daughter, Viktoria, for incestuous relations. Alone, Schlittenbauer headed into the Grubers living room, unlocked the house door from the inside, and let in the other two men. One of the familys two keys disappeared shortly before their deaths, which makes many think that somebody had been living in their home undetected and then decided to murder them. Today, the town goes by the name Waidhofen. In 1931, police interviewed Schlittenbauer during their reinvestigation. Cazillia Gruber (wife of Andreas Gruber): bruising near the right eye, seven blows to her head, one in triangular shape. Viktoria was a widow whose husband had died in World War One. One of the creepiest and most famous unsolved murders in German history happened in 1922 on an isolated farmstead in Bavaria, known as Hinterkaifeck. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. It was the This film was inspired by the horrifying and mysterious crimes committed against the Gruber family in 1922 Germany. Despite the horrifying fates of the Grubers, the search party found that the farm animals and family dog had not been harmed, and had, in fact, even been fed and tended to in the days between the murders and their discovery. The police interviewed and released many suspects. Is this the car that killed Karen Caughlin? The Hinterkaifeck murders remain one of Germanys eeriestand most famousunsolved crimes. This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. The story suggests she had heard footsteps in the attic and felt as though someone had been watching her. Several mysterious occurrences took place leading up to the murders. The Hinterkaifeck farm was demolished the year after the killings and the Grubers were laid to rest in a nearby cemetery without their heads, which were lost during the chaos of World War II. Stars. Although the team agreed on a theory, they kept it secret to respect the descendants of their suspect. Public domain. Without a motive or further leads, the case dragged on with no resolution. The older Czilia showed strangulation marks on her neck, and poor young Czilia had ripped her hair out of her head as she lay in agony for several hours before her death. Although the old structures no longer exist on the farm, there is a memorial where visitors can stop and pay their respects. The farm animals and their dog were left unharmed. By April 4, a search party was assembled by neighboring families, led by Lorenz Schlittenbauer, a farmer who had previously had a relationship with the widowed Viktoria. Imagine thinking youre safe in your own home, not knowing that something terrible is about to take place, something that isnt going to be solved. The academy was unable to conclusively solve the murder, but they did devise a theory that has been kept private out of respect for the families of those involved. The Hinterkaifeck Murders the suspects Hinterkaifeck was a small isolated farmstead situated between the towns of Ingolstadt and Schrobenhausen in Bavaria, Germany, surrounded by hills and forests. WordPress. It reads On March 31, 1922, the Gabriel-Gruber family fell victim to the ungodly hand of the murderer. Image: Public Domain. The crime in the home Maria and Josef YouTube Unsolved The injuries were brutal, smashed skulls, strangulation, shattered jaws, and gaping wounds all caused by a mattock (pickaxe). The family didnt know who they belonged. Jan 5. One of the creepiest and most famous unsolved murders in German history happened in 1922 on an isolated farmstead in Bavaria, known as Hinterkaifeck. Nothing had been stolen, and evidence had shown that whoever killed them had been living in their house for the next few days. They need renewed media attention. http://realparanormalexperiences.com/the-hinterkaifeck-mystery Its unsure why the murderer covered the bodies afterward or continued to take care of the farm animals, but it shows that the person was even more twisted for staying at their house afterward while their bodies remained. However, none of the family's wounds were self-inflicted, so this theory was also dismissed. The search party found four brutally battered bodies in the barn. was a lonely, quiet place located outside of the Bavarian town in Germany. Although he never knew who the father was, he referred to Josef as, Mein Buberl, meaning my boy. It was the home of Viktoria Gabriel and her two children, 7-year-old Czilia and 2-year-old Josef, as well as her parents. Around 70 kilometres (43 mi) north of Munich in 1922, there was a farmstead. The Creepy Truth About The Hinterkaifeck Murders. Jo Naylor/Flickr The Villisca Axe Murders house where an unknown attacker committed one of American historys most disturbing unsolved murders of all time in 1912. Please, The Hinterkaifeck killings are one of Germanys most. The autopsy revealed that she had lived several hours after the murders, and clumps of her own hair found in her hands suggest that she had torn out her hair in distress before dying of shock. Viktoria Gabriel (mother of Cazillia and Josef): nine star-shaped wounds to the head, strangulation marks on the neck, right side of the face smashed with a blunt object. At the time, Viktoria would have been pregnant or would have recently given birth to Czilia (January 2015). The police made no arrests in this crime. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. As Mental Floss explains, in the days leading up to the murders, Andreas had been noticing strange things at the farm, such as footsteps in the snow leading out of the woods toward the house and never heading back out, a newspaper in the house that he didn't remember buying, and one of the family's two house keys disappearing. This photo was taken after Hurricane Katrina struck the area. In April of 1922, the bodies of every member of the Gruber family were found slaughtered in hideous and gruesome fashion throughout the property under mysterious circumstances that have, even a century later, never been solved. Join the IPL prediction trivia and stand a chance to win incredible prizes today! Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading FOOTSTEPS IN THE ATTIC: A TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE WebThe small rural property of Hinterkaifeck lay approximately 70 kilometres north of the German city of Munich. Esther Gronenborn. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. No such luck, unfortunately. On the right of her face was a circular wound. They noticed that none of the family members were tending to the farm, the family dog was not roaming around and barking, and it was eerily quiet. During the investigation, police heard all the scandalous dirty laundry about the Grubers that circulated over the previous years. I had no idea that there even were pictures from this case. Inside the house, the men found the youngest child and the family maid slaughtered in their beds. Concerned for the familys welfare, their 48-year-old neighbour Lorenz Schlittenbauer sent his two young sons to check if anyone was home. In the end, Schilttenbauers statements convinced the police of his innocence. Viktoria had indicated that her daughters father was Karl Gabriel, who had died in battle in December 1914. Maria Baumgartner lay lifeless in her bedroom. Shortly before his murder, Andreas had informed his neighbors that he found two peoples footprints in the snow leading from the forest to a building on his farm. A small round injury of a pointed tool on the upper skull. Snke Lars Neuwhner. That is until a French police officer named Alphonse Bertillon found an innovative solution. Some witnesses reported a mysterious man hanging around the Gruber farm and believed he might have been the culprit. Therefore, it was evident that the horrifying crime happened Friday night. Californias Unsolved Keddie Cabin Murders. In her cramped right hand fingers were hair pieces. WebHinterkaifeck was a farmstead in a small town 40 miles north of Munich. Members of the Gruber-Gabriel family could usually be seen milling about, but in early April 1922, locals noticed that the Hinterkaifeck farmhouse was unusually void of activity. In the evening of the 31st of March 1922, an entire family of five, plus their new maid, were murdered in their home. The Hinterkaifeck Murders memorial near the vicinity of the crime scene. There were only five photographs ever taken of the crime scene; two of the bodies in the barn, one of Maria in her bedchamber, one of Josef in his bassinet, and an outside view from the yard. The youngest daughter was attacked with a smaller tool that likely left her alive for hours after her attack, and she had ripped out her own hair in clumps. A year later, investigators found the pickaxe in the attic of the house during the demolition of the building. WebFind Hinterkaifeck Murders stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. It also seems unlikely that he committed the murders because he had previously offered the family guns to protect themselves. Image Credit: Bill Barrow Zach Bowen was, according to those who knew him, a decent person There was nothing about him that made people guarded or nervous. Lorenz Schlittenbauer and his friends met with a grisly scene when they entered the barn on the Hinterkaifeck farmstead in Grobern, just outside the town of Kaifeck, Germany, on April 4, 1922. photographer taking photos of crime scene by the river - crime scene photos stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. Lorenz Schlittenbauer led the search party, and what they discovered was a haunting sight. Shortly after the autopsies of the Gruber family, their heads were removed and sent to Munich where clairvoyants were employed to seek out metaphysical clues from the Gruber family skulls. While Hinterkaifeck was not the formal name of the family farm, the name literally meaning Behind Kaifeck, the town the farm was near, it is the name that popular culture has chosen to refer to the farm and the events that occurred as. Additionally, neighbors reported that they had seen smoke rising from the chimney after the murder date.