Shadow ArchiveIntroduction
On March 31, 1922, six inhabitants of a remote farmstead named Hinterkaifeck, located north of Munich, were brutally murdered with a mattock. The victims included the farmer Andreas Gruber, his wife Cäzilia, their widowed daughter Viktoria, her two children, and the family maid. The killer or killers were never caught, but the details of the crime suggest they lived on the farm with the bodies for several days.
Historical Context
The Gruber family was known in the community to be reclusive and wealthy, but also the subject of dark rumors regarding incest. Days before the murders, Andreas Gruber told neighbors about footprints in the snow leading from the forest to the farm but none leading back. He also reported hearing footsteps in the attic and finding a newspaper he didn't buy. Most disturbingly, a set of house keys had gone missing.
Discovery & Evidence
The bodies were discovered on April 4, after neighbors noticed the family hadn't been seen for days. Four victims were found stacked in the barn, covered with hay. The maid and the youngest child were killed in their beds. Autopsies revealed that the youngest child, Josef, survived for hours after the attack, tearing out tufts of his own hair.
Investigations
The Munich police investigated extensively, interviewing over 100 suspects. Motive was difficult to establish. Robbery was ruled out as large amounts of cash were found in the house. The most chilling detail was that the cattle had been fed, and smoke was seen rising from the chimney during the days between the murders and the discovery implies the killer casually inhabited the home.
Theories
Suspects included Lorenz Schlittenbauer, a neighbor and former suitor of Viktoria who had claimed to be the father of her son Josef. His behavior at the crime scene—disturbing bodies before police arrived—was suspicious, but evidence was circumstantial. Other theories point to a robbery gone wrong or a crime of passion by an unknown soldier drifting through post-WWI Germany.
Unanswered Questions
Who was the person hiding in the attic? Why feed the cattle? In 2007, students at the Police Academy in Fürstenfeldbruck re-examined the case using modern profiling. They identified a prime suspect but withheld the name out of respect for living relatives, leaving the public mystery of Hinterkaifeck officially unsolved.
Sources
- Bavarian State Police Archives.
- Hinterkaifeck: Time of the Spirits by Peter Leuschner.
- Fürstenfeldbruck Police Academy Report (2007).
Disclaimer
This case is over 100 years old. Information is based on surviving police files and historical research. The perpetrator was never brought to justice.