20 Facts About the Hinterkaifeck Murders: Germany’s Most Notorious Unsolved Case

20 Facts About the Hinterkaifeck Murders: Germany’s Most Notorious Unsolved Case

The most notorious unsolved murder case in Germany was the Hinterkaifeck murders. These murders took place on the evening of 31st March 1992 in a small Bavarian farmstead, located around 70 kilometers North of Munich, Germany. A total of six inhabitants of the farm were brutally murdered.

These victims were 63-year-old Andreas Gruber, his 72-year-old wife Cäzilia Gruber, their 35-year-old widowed daughter Viktoria Gabriel, her children 7-year-old Cäzilia, and 2-year-old Josef. Their 44-year-old maid Maria Baumgartner was also murdered. What made these murders so gruesome was the weapon used to commit them.

A mattock which is also known as a “grub axe” was used in the murders. It was believed that the perpetrator(s) stayed with the corpses for three days before they were discovered. The Hinterkaifeck Murders are considered the most gruesome and very mysterious crimes in the history of Germany.

Here are the 20 Facts About the Hinterkaifeck Murders: Germany’s Most Notorious Unsolved Case:

1. The Murders Took Place at a Farm

Rosser1954, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The most gruesome and notorious murders in Germany took place at a small farm. Located about 70 kilometres North of Munich, was the Hinterkaifeck farm. It is believed that the farm was built around 1863. It was close to the Bavarian towns of Ingolstadt and Schrobenhausen.

2. Strange Occurrences were Happening at the Farm before the Murders

The Hinterkaifeck farm was renowned around the locality during those days. However, some of the things that made the farm to be known very well were not pleasing to the occupants.

It is believed that multiple strange occurrences were happening at the farm before the murders were carried out. Not everyone believed that any strange occurrences happened on the farm which led to no further investigations.

3. A Family Maid Quit her Job 6 Months Before the Murders

Luck and instincts might have alarmed one person who used to live on the farm making her leave. Six months before the murders took place, a family maid decided to quit her job.

The reason behind her resignation from her job at the farmstead was not that clear. However, it is believed that she claimed the house was haunted. She had complained about hearing strange voices from the attic of the house.

4. Andreas Gruber Found a Strange Newspaper from Munich He Had not Bought

The strange occurrences and strange voices from the Arctic were not the only things to be witnessed at the farm. It is believed that Mr Andreas Gruber also witnessed one of the strangest things.

One day in March 1922, Andreas Gruber got a strange newspaper which was from Munich on the farm. What made it more suspicious was that he never remembered making any purchases of the newspaper.

He believed that a postman might have lost the newspaper when he was on his property. The strangest thing is that no one on the property had subscribed to the paper.

5. Gruber had Discovered Tracks in the Fresh Snow Leading to His Farm’s Machine Room

Yellowstone National Park, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Thinking that the strange occurrences might have been over, but there were more. Before the murders were carried out, Gruber had also made another shocking discovery within the farm.

Andreas Gruber had found tracks that were in the fresh snow. The strangest thing is that the tracks were coming from the forest to the farm’s machine room which had a broken door lock.

6. Footsteps were Heard in the Attic but No-one was Found

The tracks that Andreas Gruber found were not the only shocking thing to happen within the farm that day. During that same night, the family heard footsteps in the attic. Gruber woke up to investigate the source of the footsteps. However, he never found anyone after searching the whole building.

7. The Night Footsteps Incident was not Reported to the Police

Andreas Gruber and his family were perplexed by these night footsteps in their attic. He told his close friends and neighbors about the incident. They were ready to help his family, but this was not his thoughts. Andreas chose to refuse any offers of help and they never reported the incidents to the police.

8. Viktoria Gabriel Fled the Farm for the Forest at Night after a Violent Quarrel

Chaithanya Krishnan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A few days before the murders took place, other strange things also took place at the farm. According to 7-year-old Cäzilia Gabriel’s friend, Viktoria Gabriel had a nasty experience. She had fled from the night for the forest that night after an act of violent quarrel.

9. Maria’s Sister was the Last Person to See the Farm’s Inhabitants Alive

On the 31st of March 1922 afternoon, Maria Baumgartner, the new maid of the farm arrived at the homestead. She was escorted by her sister to the farm and later left after a short stay over that evening. It is believed that Maria’s sister might have been the last person to see the inhabitants of the farm alive.

10. Four Members of the Gruber Family were Lured to the Barn & Murdered One at a Time

Photo by cotton-bro studio: Pexels

That same evening, the murders of Andreas Gruber’s family members took place. The perpetrator(s) began their evil plan by luring some of the family members away from the main house where they were murdered.

Viktoria Gabriel, her 7-year-old Cäzilia Gruber, and her parents were lured away from the main house to the family barn through the stable. They were then murdered one by one.

11. A Mattock was Used to Murder the Family with Blows to the Head

Photo by Tim Foster on Unsplash

After being lured away to the family barn, the murder was started. A mattock was the weapon that was used to kill the family. The scene was horrifying as the family was killed with blows to their heads.

12. The Perpetrator(s) Murdered Joseph and Maria in the Living Quarters

After finishing the murders of the first four family members, the perpetrator(s) went ahead to finish his/her job. The other two family members, Joseph and Maria Baumgartner were sleeping at the living quarters. Using the same mattock, Josef who was asleep in his bassinet, and Maria in her bedchamber were murdered.

13. The Bodies of the Victims Stayed with the Perpetrator(s) after the Murders

Ralf Roletschek (FAL or GFDL 1.2), via Wikimedia Commons

After the murders, the bodies of the victims were not recovered immediately. It is believed that the perpetrator(s) stayed with the bodies of the victims for three to four days. The purpose of staying with the bodies for these days has never been known.

14. Andreas Gruber and His Family Went Missing for a Couple of Days

Hans Schirovsky and Eduard Schirovsky, two coffee vendors, showed up in Hinterkaifeck on April 1 to collect orders. However, they knocked on the door and the window but got no response so they wandered around the garden looking for someone. They decided to leave after observing that the machine house’s gate was open. The following several days saw Cäzilia Gabriel miss school without being excused, and the family skipped church on Sunday which raised an alarm.

15. An Assembler did some Four Hours Work Repairs without the Family’s Sighting

Something was amiss at the Hinterkaifeck farm which the neighbours and other people who frequented there noticed. On 4th April, assembler Albert Hofner arrived at the farm to work on some engine repairs.

He never saw the family but only heard the farm animals’ noises as well as the dog barking from the barn. Albert continued his repair work for about four hours without anyone showing up and left later.

16. The Victims’ Bodies were Discovered by Concerned Neighbours

Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

To reach the family, Lorenz Schlittenbauer sent his son Johann (16) and stepson Josef (9) to Hinterkaifeck at around 3:30 p.m. When they said they had not seen anyone, Schlittenbauer, Michael Pöll, and Jakob Sigl went to the farm that day.

When they went into the barn, they discovered Andreas Gruber’s, Cäzilia Gruber’s, Viktoria Gabriel’s, and Cäzilia’s bodies. The youngest member of the family, Josef, and the chambermaid, Maria Baumgartner, were found slain at the homestead not long after.

17. Several People on the Scene and other Factors Hindered Initial Investigations

After the discovery of the victims’ bodies, investigations began immediately with police flocking to the farm. However, the investigations were hindered a little bit because of several factors.

There were several people at the crime scene which hampered initial investigations by the police. The moved bodies and other items in the household also led to the disruption of the initial investigations.

18. Younger Cäzilia was Alive for Several Hours after the Assault

The murder victims did not die immediately after they were assaulted. Cäzilia who was the youngster of all victims was alive for several hours after she was assaulted by the mattock. Evidence showed that she had torn into her hair in tiffs as she lay in the straw. For more investigations and conclusions, the skulls were sent to Munich.

19. Several Suspects were Interrogated & Witnesses’ Accounts Taken

Bijan Jazani, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Autopsies of the bodies were carried out at the family barn where four of the family members were murdered. Several witnesses came forward to give their accounts about the incident. A huge list of people who were suspected to have a hand in the murders.

20. The Hinterkaifeck Murders Remain to be Unsolved

The gruesome Hinterkaifeck murders were puzzling because the perpetrator(s) had not left any lead or evidence behind. Police carried out thorough investigations and made several interrogations which never helped. The Hinterkaifeck Murders remain to be unsolved.

Due to the lack of modern technology in that era, the perpetrator(s) managed to get away with the murders. The Hinterkaifeck Murders have always been one of the most reviewed and interesting unsolved murders being followed up in Germany.