Hinterkaifeck shortly after the murders, 1922.
The Background
On the evening of March 31, 1922, on a farm near Waidhofen, Germany, five family members and their maid were bludgeoned by an unknown assailant. In the days leading up to the crime, the family experienced strange events. A house key went missing. Footprints were found in the snow leading towards the property, but none led back to the surrounding forest. A Munich newspaper suddenly appeared, yet no one in the family nor in the area had subscribed to it. These incidents proved to be so terrifying, the family’s maid quit. She claimed she heard footsteps and voices coming from the attic every night. Soon, she would be proven right. There indeed was something in the attic.
This is the most popular, but not entirely truthful summary of the Hinterkaifeck case. Though the crime remains unsolved over a hundred years later, certain parts of the story need further analysis for more solid answers.
The Gruber Family
In 1885, Cäzilia Asam’s husband died of pneumonia on the Hinterkaifeck farm. Less than a year later, Cäzilia remarried to Andreas Gruber, a young man she hired to take over her deceased husband’s duties. Andreas became a stepfather to Cäzilia’s children and soon, a father as he and Cäzilia had three daughters: Viktoria, Sophie, and an unnamed daughter who died on the day she was born. Viktoria was their only child who lived to adulthood. Unfortunately, long before March 31, 1922, Hinterkaifeck farm was already a place of terror and trepidation.
According to the people of Waidhofen, Viktoria was endlessly violated by her father, starting from when she was a teenager. Maria Missel, a maid who worked for the Gabriels, the family Viktoria eventually married into, shared that when Viktoria was around seventeen, she came down with an illness. A doctor advised her to be intimate with a man, but since her parents did not have a suitor available, Andreas seized Viktoria’s virginity in the presence of Cäzilia. Though this story sounds bizarre, Missel is not the only one who gives such an account. Kreszenz Rieger, a maid who worked for the Grubers, accidentally witnessed Andreas violating Viktoria and testified that Viktoria later told her, “If I had known you were coming into the barn, I would not have given in to him.”
On April 3, 1914, Viktoria married Karl Gabriel from the nearby area of Laag. Sadly, Karl was drafted during the outbreak of World War I and died in action in December 1914. Viktoria was pregnant and gave birth in 1915 to a daughter named Cäzilia, often called Cilli. Shortly after Cilli turned one, Andreas was sentenced to a year in prison after being convicted of immorality. Shockingly, Viktoria was also sentenced, though her term was only a month. Though Andreas finally faced consequences for his actions, he did not stop violating Viktoria. In 1919, she became pregnant again and gave birth to a son, Josef. By then, she had been having relations with a neighbor named Lorenz Schlittenbauer, who denied paternity because it was possible Andreas was Josef’s father. Officially, on Josef’s birth certificate, his father is listed as Lorenz Schlittenbauer. Despite this, Schlittenbauer reported Andreas and Viktoria for immorality, but this time, only Andreas was arrested. Viktoria begged Schlittenbauer to withdraw his statement so her father could be released and Schlittenbauer agreed. Andreas was released and Schlittenbauer recognized Josef as his son, though in statements he gave after the crime, he admits to having doubts about being Josef’s father.
With two young children now living at Hinterkaifeck, one would think the tension and horror would calm down to let them have a peaceful childhood. Alas, the worst was yet to come.
Hinterkaifeck before the crime, date unknown.
Photo Source: https://wiki.hinterkaifeck.net/wiki/Sonstiges:_Bildergalerie NOTE: There are no documented photos of the Grubers. This photo possibly shows Viktoria (center) and Andreas (right).
Why Did the Maid Quit?
Kresenz Rieger worked as a maid for the Grubers from November 1920 to September 1921. Rieger gave birth to a daughter in March 1921 at Hinterkaifeck. She was not married and the child’s father, Jakob Weber, died in a Munich hospital in May 1921 during an operation. Since the child was illegitimate, the father deceased, and Rieger was on a limited income, the child was put into foster care and eventually adopted.
It is often said Rieger quit due to hearing noises coming from the attic of the Gruber home. Rieger says the following in a witness statement from 1952:
“I would also like to mention that my bedroom door would suddenly open at midnight. But I never saw anyone, even though the door was locked. After this haunting occurred almost every day at the same time, I became afraid and decided to give up my job.”
It is vital to note Rieger only mentions paranormal activity in her 1952 statement. She also gave statements in 1922, 1929, 1931, and 1933. This is not to suggest Rieger made up the haunting story, but it is possible she experienced a false memory as by then, local lore established she quit due to Hinterkaifeck being haunted. Rieger never brings up hearing noises in the attic as her reason for quitting in any of her statements.
On the other hand, Rieger does mention being “haunted” by brothers from the area. In her 1922 statement, she discusses the Bichler brothers, Karl and Anton. Anton, who often worked odd jobs at Hinterkaifeck, took a liking to Rieger and proposed to her in November 1920, shortly after she started her job. He often came to Rieger’s bedroom window late at night to woo her and visited her after she gave birth. Unfortunately, the late-night window visits turned vulgar. Anton wanted Rieger to sleep with him, but she refused. She adds the Grubers advised her to stay from Anton because he and Karl were known thieves. At one point, Karl stopped by her window around midnight, asking to be let inside. With such disturbance in her peace, it is understandable why Rieger left her job.
Days after Rieger’s 1922 statement, she addresses a rumor Anton was spreading in which he claimed he had intercourse with her eight days before she gave birth. She vehemently denies ever being intimate with Anton. In her 1952 statement, she does not mention the Bichler brothers, but the Thaler brothers. The story is nearly identical to what she experienced with the Bichlers. It is possible that after thirty years, Rieger mixed up their names. However, in his 1922 statement, Anton Bichler admits he visited Rieger’s window late at night several times. It is clear Rieger quit due to harassment rather than attic noises.
The Events Before and After the Crime
After Rieger’s resignation, the Gruber family did not have a maid for around six months until they hired Maria Baumgartner. According to Baumgartner’s sister, Franziska Schäfer, she had mental and physical disabilities. She walked with a limp due to having one foot shorter than the other. Before being hired, Baumgartner worked as a maid for an old woman in Unterwittelsbach, but she was let go because the mayor did not like having a “crippled person” in town. Franziska walked Baumgartner to Hinterkaifeck on March 31, 1922, and they arrived around five in the afternoon. In a statement from 1932, Franziska comments the farm seemed very lonely, and she found it odd that Baumgartner called out to her again after they had already said their goodbyes. Similar to Rieger, Franziska squashes a local rumor. She says:
“It is not true that someone looked down from the roof as we entered the farm. I could never have said anything like that. If people say that anyway, then they are making it up themselves.”
The day before Baumgartner’s arrival, Andreas Gruber noticed a break-in attempt on his property. He found footprints in the snow leading to the farm’s engine shed, but no footprints returning to the nearby forest. Additionally, the lock to the shed had been busted open. Lorenz Schlittenbauer, Andreas’ closest neighbor and possible father of Joseph Gruber, was informed about this break-in attempt. Upon inspection, Andreas did not find anything missing, so he assumed nothing was of concern. Before this, Andreas and Viktoria Gruber allegedly made comments to the townspeople that they heard strange noises coming from the attic. At one point in the days leading to the crime, Andreas went up to the attic with a lantern to inspect the area and found nothing amiss. He commented he was not afraid and he had his rifle ready. This information comes from a witness statement given by Wenzeslaus Bley, dated August 1930, eight years after the crime. While the break-in attempt was documented by police, the noises heard in the attic remain uncertain.
On April 4, 1922, Albert Hofner, an engine mechanic, arrived at Hinterkaifeck around 9 a.m. by bicycle. He was hired by Andreas Gruber to make the repair, but since the weather was severe the previous week, the appointment was pushed to April 4th. Hofner tried to get to the engine shed via the courtyard gate, but it was locked. Then he tried the front door of the house, but it was locked as well. He heard the cows groaning and the dog barking. He did not pay attention to this because he heard Andreas was an “oddball” who often left the cows by themselves. Hofner then took a seat on his bicycle and whistled, hoping someone in the home would notice.
After an hour, Hofner grew frustrated and broke into the engine shed, as he had another appointment scheduled and did not want to be late. Hofner noticed the engine shed was secured only with a small padlock, so breaking in proved to be an easy task. He sang and whistled loudly as he worked. The repair took approximately four and a half hours. When Hofner was on his way out, he noticed the barn door, which was previously shut, was wide open. He also saw that the dog was by the front door. He checked the front door again and found it still locked. He peeked into the windows but did not see anything. Hofner estimated he left the farm at roughly 2:30 p.m. At his next appointment at another farm in the area, he told the farm owner he did not encounter any of the Grubers. The farmer answered the Grubers often spent their days in the forest chopping wood and usually did not get home until after dark. Hofner was satisfied with this response and did not discuss anything further. Hofner gave his statement in 1925. Due to the passage of three years, the exact times he arrived and left the farm cannot be determined.
But around 5 p.m. that same day, the bodies of the Gruber family and Maria Baumgartner were finally discovered.
The Timeline Web
The following timeline will be presented as facts and possibilities.
Saturday, April 1, 1922: Cilli Gabriel, the seven-year-old, is absent from school. Additionally, two coffee sellers arrived at Hinterkaifeck in the afternoon. Their knocks were met with silence (FACT). Michael Plöckl witnessed smoke coming from the bake house and flashing lights, possibly from a lantern. In statements a few years post-1922, Plöckl adds details and says he saw a large man on the farm’s property carrying a lantern. The man shone the light in Plöckl’s eyes and this scared him so much, he ran away. About ten years after the crime, Plöckl says the man’s figure was a match for Lorenz Schlittenbauer. Lastly, around 3:30 a.m. on April 1, Simon Reisländer rode his bike home after visiting his girlfriend in a nearby village. His route passed by Hinterkaifeck and he noticed two young men on the property, who looked about 22 or 23 years old. One of them, he stated, resembled Karl Bichler, one of the brothers of the infamous duo who harassed the former Hinterkaifeck maid. He says: “Regarding Bichler, I knew, or rather heard, that he liked to steal. I therefore thought it was possible that he could be connected to the robbery and murder. This assumption is widespread in Waidhofen and Westerbach” (POSSIBILITY).
Sunday, April 2, 1922: The Grubers do not attend church (FACT). Some sources say Viktoria’s friends from the choir went to pick her up, but found the farm deserted. Following church, a boy went to Hinterkaifeck to buy lard and was not able to get ahold of anyone. The boy’s name is not known, nor the time he arrived (POSSIBILITY).
Monday, April 3, 1922: The postman, Josef Mayer, leaves the latest mail in the kitchen window as usual but notices the absence of Josef Gruber’s stroller. Mayer recounted always seeing Josef rocking himself in the kitchen. In his first statement, he emphasizes he did not see any previous mail, including newspapers, in the kitchen window. Mayer mentions being accused of planting newspapers but does not give information about who accused him. In his second statement, he says “I also emphasize again that it is not true that on April 3, 1922, I found the previously published newspaper stuck to the kitchen window.” The Grubers regularly received a newspaper called Schrobenhauser Wochenblatt (Schrobenhauser Weekly Paper), delivered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Mayer says he delivered the newspaper into Andreas Gruber’s hands on Friday, March 31st. One final detail to be touched on is the discovery of the infamous Münchner Zeitung (Munich Newspaper) on the farm shortly before the crime. Mayer says the Grubers found the Munich Newspaper on their premises and wondered if he had lost the newspaper while on his route or made a mistake with its delivery. The Grubers were anxious about the Munich Newspaper because they believed someone was living on their property and they also told Mayer about the footprints in the snow leading into the machine shed. The Munich Newspaper is only mentioned in Mayer’s statements and were recorded in 1952, thirty years after the crime, so details in his accounts may be a little fuzzy (MIXTURE OF FACT AND POSSIBILITY).
Tuesday, April 4, 1922: The bodies are discovered by the concerned neighbors of Lorenz Schlittenbauer, Michael Pöll, and Jakob Sigl (FACT).
Wednesday, April 5, 1922: The first witness statements are documented and photos of the crime scene are taken (FACT).
Saturday, April 8, 1922: After being autopsied on April 6th and 7th, the Grubers and Maria Baumgartner are buried in a common grave. The Schrobenhausener Wochenblatt states around 3,000 people attended the funeral mass in the Waidhofen church (FACT).
A scene from the funeral, 1922.
The Common Theories
None of these theories are proven facts and none of these suspects were ever convicted with irrefutable evidence. Only five theories will be discussed, as the list of suspects is long.
Theory 1 – Lorenz Schlittenbauer
Schlittenbauer was the closest neighbor. His farm was about half a mile away. Due to the rough history between him and the Grubers, especially concerning the paternity of Josef Gruber, many in the area assumed he was the culprit. Schlittenbauer also wanted to marry Viktoria Gruber, but Andreas would not allow her to do so. With this, it is easy to thrust suspicion upon Schlittenbauer. However, Schlittenbauer’s children testified their father had asthma, which ultimately became his cause of death. Since his condition was serious, they highly doubted he could have committed the crime, especially unassisted. Rumors of Schlittenbauer’s guilt became so common that he released this statement in the Schrobenhausener Wochenblatt.
Public warning I warn everyone not to spread the rumors that I was involved in the murder in Hinterkaifeck. From now on I will take legal action against anyone, whether wealthy or not, who starts or spreads such rumors. I am of the opinion that man's honor is taken away by evil mouths, but that this type of people is never able to restore man's honor. Gröbern , January 26, 1926 Lorenz Schlittenbauer
Less than a year after this statement, Schlittenbauer’s farm burned down. Details are hazy on whether or not it was accidental or arson, but some documents regarding Hinterkaifeck, including information about Josef Gruber’s paternity case, were unfortunately lost in this fire.
Theory 2 – Karl Gabriel, Jr.
As farfetched as it may sound, rumors circulated about Karl Gabriel. Jr, the deceased husband of Viktoria Gruber, being the criminal. The rumors said Gabriel never died in World War I but survived and returned to Hinterkaifeck to reunite with Viktoria and Cilli. When he saw Viktoria had another child who was not his, he flew into a fit of rage, committed the crime, and escaped to Russia. Before Gabriel was drafted, there were rumors he and Viktoria struggled in their marriage. Schlittenbauer addresses some of these rumors in his statements by saying Gabriel hated living at Hinterkaifeck because the Grubers were very stingy and there often was not much food to eat. It is said Gabriel and Andreas Gruber often clashed because he refused to stop violating Viktoria.
Despite this intriguing theory, Gabriel did not survive World War I. Josef Bichler, the brother of the notorious duo, Karl and Anton, was a close friend of Gabriel since childhood and swore he and another soldier, Nikolaus Haas, saw Gabriel’s body just after he was killed. Bichler added he and Haas inspected Gabriel’s pockets and found a portrait of Viktoria on reinforced cardboard, possibly meaning Gabriel still had strong feelings for her. But Haas denies there ever was a photo of Viktoria and says, “That's not true. I cannot understand how Bichler came to such statements. I have never held a photograph of Viktoria Gabriel in my hands in my entire life.” Josef Bichler and Nikolaus Haas discussed these details in the 1950s, meaning their memories might have been foggy. Whatever the case may be about the photo, official records show Karl Gabriel, Jr. died in World War I.
Karl Gabriel's obituary in the Schrobenhausen Wochenblatt, 1914.
Theory 3 – Karl and Anton Bichler
With their previous behavior of visiting Hinterkaifeck very late at night, it is reasonable locals would assume the Bichler brothers visited again and committed the crime. The brothers had also done work on the farm in the past, meaning they knew the premises well. Soon after the murders, Anton admitted to visiting Hinterkaifeck late at night to ask Rieger for sexual encounters, as previously mentioned. Karl also admitted to being a thief, stealing mostly farm supplies and sometimes chickens and sheep. By early 1922, their reputations worsened so much that in February 1922, their brother Josef published this statement in the area’s newspaper:
Warning I hereby warn emphatically against the spreading and further dissemination of the vile suspicions about my brother Karl Bichler and would like to point out that everyone will be reported without mercy. Josef Bichler, Waidhofen.
Both Karl and Anton had solid alibis during the time of the murders, which were confirmed by several people. They were working in an area about 40 miles away.
Theory 4 – Josef Hartl
Hartl was a servant boy on Hinterkaifeck two years prior to the murders. According to more rumors, he stopped working on the farm due to mistreatment. Following his resignation, he broke into the farm by entering through a window in the house’s gable. He is said to have slept in the attic and then stole food and clothes and made a swift escape with the Grubers watching. Another servant named Georg Siegl, said he later confronted Hartl about the burglary and Hartl became so incensed by the accusation that the two got into a fight and Hartl scratched Siegl’s cheek so hard, he developed a scar. Police concluded Hartl was not the murderer because of his young age of roughly 17 years old, but this shows it was possible to break into Hinterkaifeck and stay overnight without the family noticing. The attic also had no interior walls, meaning someone could scope the house from above without bumping into barriers.
Theory 5 – The Gabriel Family
Though Karl Gabriel Jr. died in World War I, he had three brothers (Anton, Jakob, and Josef) who were still living at the family farm in Laag. According to the Gabriel family’s maid, Maria Missel, who talked about how Viktoria was first violated by Andreas, she gave a very detailed account of how the Gabriels may have been motivated to eliminate the Grubers. The Gabriel farm, as described by Missel, was in dire need of repairs and the family could not afford the renovations. Considering the crime took place a few years post-World War I, Germany was in an economic crisis. Following the murders, Missel claimed the Gabriel family was ecstatic to inherit Hinterkaifeck. Since Cilli was the final victim to die and was technically a Gabriel, this meant the farm was officially theirs. Missel also adds suspicion on Jakob:
“At the beginning of May 1922, I was washing colored shirts in the yard. Among the laundry was a man's shirt that was covered in blood on the left side of the chest. The blood stain was black and sticky. When asked, Mrs. Gabriel explained that her son Jakob had had a very bad nosebleed this time. It is true that he had had nosebleeds often. But he had never soiled the shirt before. But I cannot say whether the shirt belonged to Jakob Gabriel or not. I did not see the shirt later.”
The Gabriel brothers were eventually arrested for possible involvement. While it does seem the Gabriels had a motive and Missel’s statement is extremely detailed, there are problems with this theory. Missel did not give a statement until 1937. Additionally, she served prison time for making false accusations. For example, she accused a man of committing arson because he happened to confess during a conversation that took place in Missel’s apartment. Missel served three months in prison for this false accusation. Shortly following her release, Missel wanted another pair of shoes from the welfare office but was denied since she had recently been given shoes. This decision angered her, so she wrote a letter to the welfare office, saying the welfare officer had accused her of being the Hinterkaifeck murderer. This proved to be false and Missel had already been warned to stop harassing the welfare office employees. Missel served six months (one source says six weeks) in prison and was later institutionalized for mental illness.
Missel’s family denied she was mentally ill, and it is crucial to mention that just because a person has a mental illness, it does not mean everything they say is a lie. In the end, Missel’s claims about the Gabriel family as well as the bloody shirt were never proven. The Gabriel brothers were released from custody and never charged. As for ownership of Hinterkaifeck after the murders, the Gabriels purchased the farm from Bernhard Gruber, Andreas’ brother. A few months later, they demolished the property and used the materials to repair their farm. During the demolition, a pocketknife and mattock were found, the presumed murder weapons. The mattock was still covered with blood.
A full list of suspects and theories is available here: https://wiki.hinterkaifeck.net/wiki/Sonstiges:_Tatverd%C3%A4chtige
Maria Missel’s full statement is available here:
A Possible Series
From 1916 to 1922, groups of two men terrorized remote farms by breaking in, stealing, and sometimes severely injuring or murdering the residents. Hinterkaifeck may have been part of a criminal series as the incidents occurred within a reasonable distance from the farm.
1916: Two men were planning to travel, one of them being a deserter during World War I. To acquire funds for their trip, they hid in a barn in Steingriff (4 miles away) and attacked the farmer with a pickaxe, but the farmer escaped. Both men were caught and convicted.
1919: A farmer in Ebenhausen (10 miles away), was robbed and wounded by two men so badly, he succumbed to his wounds a few days later.
1920: Katharina and Joseph Huber were found murdered on their farm in Ebersburg (65 miles from Hinterkaifeck, but the striking similarity is worth discussing). Their daughter had arrived to get fresh milk, as she did daily, but when her parents did not answer her knocks, she peeked through the keyhole of their bedroom and saw the crime scene. Police found a blood-stained axe near the Hubers and assumed they had been attacked as they slept. Katharina suffered 14 blows to her head. Joseph’s blow count is not known as his injuries disfigured him. This case, like Hinterkaifeck, remains unsolved.
1921: Two men arrived at a farm in Untermaxfeld (9 miles away) and broke in. The owner of the farm, Georg Oppelheimer, was already in bed. The men stabbed him to death and then murdered his wife with a blow to her head. The men were caught and arrested.
1922: These incidents took place on April 1st and the 4th, very close time range to Hinterkaifeck. On April 1st in Hagau (10 miles away), two men broke into a farm owned by a couple in their 70s. They stunned the husband with a blow to his head and the wife escaped and called for help. The two men immediately fled the scene. On April 4th, two men arrived at a farm in Unterarnbach (4 miles away) around 9 p.m. They asked the farmer for directions through a window and the farmer decided to let them inside. As he opened the door, the men forced themselves in, hit the farmer’s head with a blunt object and then threatened to murder his wife. They stole money and soon disappeared from the farm. The two men were described as wearing masks and around 18-23 years old. As mentioned earlier, Simon Reisländer, one of the many people who gave information on the Hinterkaifeck murders, says he saw two men on the property on April 1st at 3:30 a.m. and they were about 22-23 years old.
A map of the area. Hinterkaifeck is number 27 1/2.
Into the Eyes of Children
After studying the Hinterkaifeck case, I was shocked by the convoluted information. So many statements often contradicted others and several people had the same first name. Even Kresenz Rieger mixes up the names of the brothers who harassed her. Furthermore, as I did my research, I came across YouTube videos that presented complete misinformation. One of the videos repeated the claim of Rieger quitting her job due to hearing footsteps in the attic but added Rieger often observed flickering lights coming from the barn as she tried to sleep in her bedroom. Once I heard this “fact,” I shut the video off. The floorplan of the property shows this would be impossible. The barn was attached to the house by a narrow corridor, meaning one would have to go through this corridor to view the barn. None of the bedrooms provided a direct view of the barn and Hinterkaifeck did not have electricity.
The events of Hinterkaifeck are like a soap opera. There is a controlling father who violates his daughter, the death of a young husband while away at war, the births of children, a paternity case, an attempted break in, a murder mystery, and disputed ownership of the property. It is easy to see how the crime became so sensationalized. The word “hinter” means “behind” in German. With the passage of time, the cloudiness of the sources, and the internet in general, many facts of the case have been left “behind.” But something else has been left behind too – the children, Cilli and Josef.
In the mountains of statements I read, Cilli is barely described. Sofie Fuchs, a former classmate, says Cilli always wore the same clothes and was treated poorly. She also had long, dark brown hair often worn in braids. Josef has even less information. Whenever he is brought up, it is usually about his paternity situation. Cilli is thought to have been the final victim to perish. When her body was found, she had tufts of hair gripped in her hands. She was barefoot and only wearing a shirt, suggesting she was ready for bed when the murders happened. Cilli had severe head injuries and a large wound on her chin and throat. The investigators concluded Cilli lived two to three hours after her attack, outliving the others for a while. Based on this, the investigators assumed Cilli could have survived the attack if she had been given prompt medical attention. As for the hair in her hands, some sources say it was her hair, but other sources do not make this distinction. Josef was murdered in his stroller with one blow to his little head. His body was found covered with one of Viktoria’s skirts. Josef was only two years old. Cilli was only seven, yet it is clear she fought for her life. She wanted to live. It is chilling to imagine the fear she felt when she encountered the murderer or murderers and worse to think about the terror she experienced as she became weak from her wounds.
There are many scary parts about this case, like the attempted break-in and footprints, the gruesome discovery of the bodies in the barn and the house, the suspicious people allegedly seen on the farm after the murders, and the possibility of the animals being fed, meaning the murderer(s) stayed in the home afterwards, temporarily living among the corpses. What I find the most horrifying is that one person or perhaps two people looked into the eyes of the children and still took their lives away. The family dog, known as the Spitz in the sources, sustained an injury above his eye, but he was kept alive, along with the livestock. The animals were spared, but the children were not for reasons I cannot answer nor understand. Even as Cilli likely cried out in pain, her anguish was not enough to make her murderer(s) reconsider their actions.
The famous Christmas carol “Silent Night” was composed by Franz Xaver Gruber. I do not know if there is a direct relation, but it can be assumed Cilli and Josef may have heard this song at church or from their mother, Viktoria, who was in the church choir. The lyrics, written by Joseph Mohr, contain this line in German: “Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh,” which is translated as “sleep in heavenly peace.”
I truly hope Cilli and Josef are doing just that in the warm arms of their mother.
A shrine for the victims as it appeared in 1989. Due to heavy tourism and disturbances to the structure, the shrine no longer stands. Plans to build a new one are unknown.
Sources Available for Download
Special thanks to CS Frank who created a scale model of Hinterkaifeck, which assisted immensely with my research. Frank also compiled the Long Cold Dark podcast, an 8-episode series on the crime, which can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/show/6zMOnmZzxD0BXcnr3e6BoG
A walkthrough of the scale model, as well as the podcast audio, is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkmNLjfjzs0
Additional special thanks to the creators of Hinterkaifeck.net for their efforts in preserving the history of the victims.
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