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1:56

There were two more murders 15 miles away.

2:00

We have a weird homicide. A

2:07

cop of murder. Sometimes

2:10

cases bizarre and tragic are doomed

2:13

to remain a mystery for decades

2:15

to come. On

2:17

March 31, 1922,

2:19

a murder took place that remains to

2:22

this day one of the oldest unsolved

2:24

cases in German history. So

2:27

if you like your coffee hot but your

2:29

bones chilled, sit back and start your day

2:31

with a morning cup of murder. Around

2:34

the year 1863, a farm

2:36

was built in Hinter Kaifek and

2:39

living at the Bavarian homestead at the

2:41

time our story takes place, where

2:43

Andres Gruber, his wife

2:46

Koselia, their widowed

2:48

daughter Victoria Gabriel, and

2:50

her children Koselia and Joseph.

2:54

So a previously quiet existence, the family was

2:56

thrust into the spotlight in March of

2:58

1922, when

3:00

an unthinkable tragedy took place that

3:02

to this day has many shaking

3:04

their head. However,

3:07

prior to this event, unusual

3:09

things began happening at the farm that,

3:11

when looked at later, only

3:14

added to the mystery of the tale. Like

3:17

the fact that six months

3:19

before March 31, 1922,

3:22

the family's maid suddenly quit her job because,

3:25

as it was widely claimed, she

3:27

began hearing strange noises in the

3:29

attic and believed that the home

3:31

was haunted. Then that

3:33

March, Andres came outside to find

3:35

a Munich newspaper on his property

3:38

that he swore he didn't purchase. Assuming

3:41

the mailman might have simply dropped the paper,

3:44

his confusion only grew when he found

3:46

that no one in the vicinity subscribed

3:48

to that particular newspaper. There

3:51

were also the unknown tracks found in

3:53

the fresh snow leading to a broken

3:55

door lock on the farm's machine room,

3:58

and, later in the day, Andres

4:00

himself heard the sounds of footsteps

4:03

in his attic. But

4:05

when he went to search the building, he found

4:07

nothing and no one of concern. Telling

4:10

several neighbors and friends about his

4:12

observations, Andres, for one reason

4:15

or another, refused to go to the

4:17

police to file a report. Whether

4:19

or not these reports would have made

4:22

a difference is unknown. But

4:24

within days of relaying his tales

4:26

to acquaintances, and within

4:28

days of seven-year-old Cazilia telling a

4:30

school friend about an instance in

4:32

which her mother, after a quarrel,

4:35

ran away from the farm and was found

4:37

in the forest hours later, everyone

4:40

living on the Hinterkijfeck farm

4:42

met a tragic and bizarre

4:44

end. The

4:47

last person to see the family

4:49

alive, as far as anyone knows,

4:51

was their new maid, Maria Baumgartner,

4:54

who arrived on March 31st, 1922, to do some work. Then

4:59

on April 1st, two coffee sellers arrived at

5:01

the farm, ready to take an order, but

5:04

were stopped when their knocks went

5:07

unanswered. Finding no one on

5:09

the property and noticing only the gate to

5:11

the machine room open, the pair left with

5:13

nothing to show for their journey. Then

5:16

days passed and Cazilia Gabriel failed to

5:18

show up to school, and

5:21

the whole family seemed to be

5:23

absent from Sunday's worship. While

5:26

many wondered where the Gruber family was, an

5:29

assembler named Albert Hoffner went to

5:31

the farm on April 4th to repair

5:33

an engine, and, like the

5:35

coffee sellers before him, found the

5:38

place abandoned. Finishing

5:40

up his repairs despite their absence,

5:42

at around 3.30 p.m., Lorenz

5:45

Schlittenbauer, noticing the male piling

5:47

up, sent his son Johann

5:49

and stepson Joseph to the

5:51

farm to see if they could make contact with

5:53

the family. When they

5:56

came back saying that they couldn't

5:58

find anyone, went

6:00

to see for himself and

6:02

arriving at the farm with two other men

6:04

with him, Michael Pole and Jacob

6:06

Siegel, they entered the

6:08

barn and found the bodies of 63-year-old

6:10

Andres, 72-year-old

6:13

Cazilia, 35-year-old Victoria, and 7-year-old

6:15

Cazilia stacked one on top of

6:21

the other. Searching

6:23

further, they found the bodies of Maria Baumgartner,

6:25

44 years old, and young Joseph,

6:29

just two inside of the

6:31

home. Alluring their

6:33

families and neighbors to what was later

6:36

described as one of the most gruesome

6:38

and puzzling unsolved crimes in German history,

6:40

the nearest police department, which was 45

6:44

miles away in Munich, were

6:46

eventually informed. But by

6:48

the time the lead investigator arrived,

6:50

dozens of people had already walked

6:52

through the scene, destroyed evidence, and

6:55

completely compromised the investigation.

6:59

With Inspector George Ryan Gruber trying his

7:01

best to get the scene under control,

7:03

a court physician the following

7:05

day performed autopsies in the barn

7:08

and determined that the most likely murder

7:10

weapon was a matic, a tool that

7:12

was missing from the scene. He

7:15

was also able to determine that young

7:17

Cazilia, laying at the bottom of the

7:19

bodies, was likely alive for several hours

7:22

after the attack and had

7:24

torn out tufts of her hair while lying

7:26

trapped in the straw. Once

7:29

the doctor was finished with his work, the heads

7:31

of each of the victims were removed and

7:34

sent to Munich for further examination, with

7:36

reports claiming that they eventually made their

7:38

way into the hands of clairvoyants in

7:41

an effort to learn more about the massacre

7:43

and who might have committed it. This

7:47

meant that the Gruber family and Maria

7:49

were all buried without their heads. And

7:52

eventually, those skulls went missing

7:54

during the upheaval of World War II.

7:58

Back at the scene, investigators First suspected the

8:01

motive for the murders was robbery and

8:03

interrogated all traveling craftsmen Vagrants and

8:06

several others living in the surrounding

8:08

areas But when they found

8:10

a large amount of money still inside the home

8:13

The theory was abandoned around the same

8:15

time that they learned according to the

8:17

evidence that the perpetrator or perpetrators

8:21

Fed the cattle ate the entire supply of

8:24

bread from the kitchen and cut

8:26

up some meat from the pantry Meaning

8:29

they likely lived amongst the bodies

8:31

on the farm undetected for three

8:33

days after luring Victoria Her

8:35

daughter and her parents out into the

8:38

barn Murdering them one

8:40

by one with thematic that belonged to

8:42

the family Legend them in the

8:44

head and then moved into

8:46

the living quarters where using that same

8:48

weapon They killed Joseph

8:50

inside of his bassinet and

8:52

Maria in her bedchamber Speaking

8:55

with witnesses Investigators soon found out

8:58

that an artisan Michael Plockel Happened

9:01

to pass the Hinter-Kyfeck farm the night

9:03

of the murder and said that

9:05

he saw the oven had been heated by someone

9:08

Who suddenly approached him with

9:10

a lantern and blinded him? He

9:13

quickly left the farm and went on his way

9:15

having never gotten a good look at the person

9:18

inside of the home Though

9:20

he did claim that there was smoke coming

9:22

from the fireplace that emitted a

9:24

foul smell The incident was

9:27

not investigated and there were no investigations

9:29

into what could have been burning in

9:31

the oven Another

9:34

witness was a farmer and butcher who

9:36

on the way home saw two unknown

9:38

figures standing near the edge of the

9:40

forest When the strangers noticed

9:43

him they turned to their bodies so he

9:45

could not see their faces and

9:47

later when he heard about the tragedy

9:49

at the Hinter-Kyfeck farm He

9:51

wondered if these men might have been

9:53

the suspects that they were looking for

9:57

There were also claims that a stranger in the

9:59

middle of May in 1927,

10:01

stopped a resident in Wade-Hoffen and

10:04

asked questions about the murder. He

10:06

then shouted that

10:08

he was in fact the killer

10:10

and ran off into the woods.

10:13

The stranger was never identified. With

10:17

no clear motive, investigators began formulating a

10:19

list of suspects in a case that

10:23

even now remains a mystery.

10:25

This list has grown, diminished,

10:28

and changed over the decades. But

10:30

here are just a few of the most

10:32

viable suspects pulled from a list

10:34

of hundreds over the course of the investigation.

10:36

The first and

10:39

probably the most obvious

10:41

but strange was Victoria's

10:43

husband, Carl Gabriel. While

10:45

it seems the spouse is always

10:47

the first suspect, if you remember

10:49

correctly, Victoria was a widow. You

10:52

see, Carl was reportedly killed in France by

10:54

a shell attack during the First World War.

10:56

However, his body was never found

11:00

and after the murders, many wondered

11:02

if he in fact died or

11:04

simply faked it. Why would he

11:06

do that? Well, Joseph, who she

11:09

gave birth to in Carl's absence, was

11:11

rumored to be the son of Victoria

11:14

and her own father. The pair's

11:18

quote relationship was well known

11:20

throughout the town and

11:22

when news spread about his actions, Andres

11:25

was sent to court for raping his daughter, but

11:27

in the end, both were charged

11:29

with incest. After

11:32

the end of the Second World War,

11:34

captives who were released prematurely from Soviet

11:36

captivity claimed that they were

11:38

sent home by a German-speaking officer who

11:40

claimed to be the murderer of the

11:43

Gubber family. Some

11:45

men later revised their statements, but

11:47

many theorized that this officer was

11:49

in fact Carl Gabriel, who,

11:51

hearing about his wife and his

11:54

father-in-law, sought his bloody

11:56

revenge. Another suspect,

11:58

one you've already heard, about

12:00

was Lorenz Schlittenbauer, the

12:03

man who sent his children a check on the family and

12:06

was there when the bodies were discovered. According

12:09

to sources, after the death of his first

12:11

wife in 1918,

12:13

Lorenz was believed to be in a relationship

12:15

with Victoria and might have actually

12:17

been the true father of Joseph. Becoming

12:20

a suspect in the eyes of locals

12:22

pretty early in the investigation, Lorenz

12:25

allegedly acted suspicious immediately following

12:27

the discovery of the bodies.

12:30

Like when he, after having to break the

12:32

gate to enter the barn because all the

12:35

doors were locked prior to finding the bodies,

12:37

suddenly seemed to produce a key to the

12:40

front door and enter the

12:42

house alone to find those of

12:44

Joseph and Maria. A key

12:47

to the home that had gone missing several

12:49

days before the murder. Just another

12:51

odd event happening at the farm in

12:53

those days and when asked by his

12:55

companions why he had gone into the

12:57

house alone when it was unclear if

12:59

the murderer was still inside, Lorenz

13:02

allegedly said he went to go look

13:04

for his son Joseph. He

13:07

was one of the many who moved the

13:10

bodies before police arrived and

13:12

according to locals continued to make

13:14

comments and statements containing details that

13:16

only the killer should be able

13:18

to recall. According

13:20

to a claim by the local teacher

13:22

who saw Lorenz visiting the remains of

13:25

the, by that point, demolished farmstead, he

13:28

claimed that the man said the killer's attempts

13:30

to bury the bodies in the barn was

13:32

hindered by the frozen ground. Though

13:35

some thought this claim was suspicious, others

13:37

said he could have known this information as

13:39

a person who found the bodies and

13:42

a man familiar with the land and conditions on

13:44

the day of the murders. Another

13:47

theory involving Lorenz claims he might

13:49

have killed the entire family after

13:51

Victoria demanded financial support for Joseph.

13:54

Before his death in 1941, Lorenz

13:57

Schlittenbauer conducted and won

13:59

several civil claims of slander

14:01

against a person who described him

14:03

as, quote, the murderer of Hinter

14:06

Kaisak. So for

14:08

many, he is the perpetrator. There was no

14:10

clear way to tie him to the murders

14:12

nor to prove if he was

14:14

indeed justice father. Another

14:17

potential suspect or suspects was

14:19

Adolf and Anton Gump. Listed

14:22

as a suspect as early as April 9th, in 1951,

14:25

a prosecutor investigated the

14:28

brothers in relation to the murder and

14:31

their sister on her deathbed

14:33

claimed that they were the ones who

14:36

committed that family massacre. As

14:38

a result, Anton was remanded to

14:40

police custody, but Adolf had

14:43

by that point already passed away. Anton

14:46

was later dismissed and the case

14:48

was eventually dropped because they

14:50

couldn't find any concrete proof connecting him

14:52

to the crime. Then

14:56

in 1971, a woman named Therese T

14:58

wrote a letter saying that at the

15:00

age of 12,

15:02

she witnessed her mother receiving a visit from a

15:04

woman who claimed her sons, Carl

15:07

and Andres S were

15:09

the men who killed the Gubber family and

15:11

their maid. Claiming the

15:13

woman stated that Andres, quote, regretted that he

15:16

lost his pen knife when the farm was

15:18

demolished in 1923, a knife was actually found

15:20

that though

15:24

it could have belonged to literally anyone did

15:26

seem to corroborate her story. The

15:29

claims, however, never went very far and

15:32

no arrests were made. Named

15:34

by a fellow laborer whom he used to

15:37

share a room with, Peter

15:39

Weber also became a suspect after,

15:41

according to that laborer, he allegedly

15:43

spoke of a remote farm, accurately

15:46

described the occupants and

15:48

alleged that he knew about the claims

15:51

involving Andres Grouver and his daughter. He

15:54

said Peter suggested killing the old man

15:56

to get his family's money and when

15:58

the laborer didn't respond to his offer, he

16:01

dropped the subject and moved on. Now,

16:04

according to the former maid who worked for

16:06

the Gruber family, she always

16:08

suspected brothers Anton and Karl Bichler of

16:11

committing the murders. And

16:13

said that because he helped with the potato harvest

16:15

on the farm, Anton knew the

16:17

premises and allegedly spoke with her often

16:20

about the Gruber's and the Gabriel's, reportedly

16:23

suggesting the family, quote, ought

16:25

to be dead. She

16:28

also mentioned to investigators that the farm

16:30

dog, who barked at everyone, never really

16:33

barked at Anton, a

16:35

claim that seemed to hold weight when nearby

16:37

neighbors said they heard nothing strange the night

16:40

of the murders. Going

16:42

further, she said she believed the brothers

16:44

committed the murders with the help of

16:46

another former worker named George Siegel, a

16:49

man who broke into the home back in 1920 and

16:51

stole a

16:54

number of items. He also

16:56

was the one who carved the handle of

16:58

what would eventually be the murder weapon back

17:00

when he worked there and knew

17:03

exactly where the tool was kept. The

17:06

last suspects I'm going to talk about,

17:08

also suggested by that former maid, were

17:11

the sailor brothers, who,

17:13

having already committed several burglaries in

17:15

the area, allegedly stood at

17:17

the maid's window one night asking

17:19

questions about the family. The

17:22

problem with this theory and with many of the

17:24

others was the fact that the family's money

17:26

seemed to remain untouched, meaning robbery

17:28

wasn't really the motive. So

17:32

despite repeated arrests, many suspects,

17:34

and hundreds of witness testimonies,

17:37

no murderer has ever been found

17:39

in the case officially closed in

17:41

1955. Many

17:44

years later, in a theory that we've spoken

17:46

about in a number of episodes, author

17:49

Bill James, in his book, The Man

17:51

from the Train, alleged that

17:53

a man known as Paul Mueller may

17:56

have been responsible for this murder,

17:58

along with many, many... others.

18:01

Murders that all bore a striking

18:03

resemblance, including the deaths of

18:05

entire families, and always

18:07

seem to take place on isolated

18:09

homesteads. Whether or

18:12

not this is true remains unknown,

18:14

and the Hinter-Kieszczak murders, to this

18:16

day, remain one of

18:19

Germany's oldest unsolved murders of

18:21

a family. Thank you

18:23

for joining me in my morning cup of murder. Please join

18:26

me again tomorrow to a terrible thing happened

18:28

on April 1st. Don't forget to

18:30

rate and subscribe and let me know how you like it.

18:32

If you want to help support

18:34

the podcast, there's always Patreon or just sharing

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it with your true crime of best friends.

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