A Bavarian farmstead where a killer lived among six corpses for three days
In short: In March 1922, six people at the Hinterkaifeck farm were murdered with a mattock. The killer did not flee immediately; instead, they stayed for three days, eating the family's food, feeding the livestock, and using the fireplace while the victims lay nearby.
The Hinterkaifeck murders remain one of Germany's most baffling unsolved crimes. Six people perished at a Bavarian farm during the night of 31 March 1922: 63-year-old Andreas Gruber, his 72-year-old wife Cäzilia, 35-year-old daughter Viktoria, two youngsters aged 7 and 2, and a 44-year-old domestic worker, Maria Baumgartner. The victims were likely lured to the barn one by one, where four of the bodies were found stacked together. The perpetrator used a family mattock to deliver fatal blows to their heads.
The crime scene was heavily contaminated by onlookers who moved the bodies and even cooked meals in the kitchen before investigators arrived. This, combined with the lack of a clear motive, hampered the investigation led by Inspector Georg Reingruber. While investigators initially suspected robbery, they found a large amount of money left at the house. Instead, evidence suggested the killer had been living on the property for several days, consuming bread and meat and tending to the cattle.
Strange occurrences preceded the violence. Family members had reported hearing noises in the attic, and a previous maid had quit due to similar disturbances. In the days leading up to the murders, Andreas Gruber reported finding tracks in the snow leading from the forest to a broken door and hearing footsteps in the attic. Despite these warnings, the family did not contact the police. The case was officially closed in 1955, though interrogations continued as late as 1986.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Hinterkaifeck murders
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