One of Germany’s most gruesome murders will forever be unsolved. A family was murdered in their own home after hearing weird noises in the attic… The police even tried listing one of the victims’ dead husband as a suspect!
The Family
The Gruber family lived on a small farmstead that they called Hinterkaifeck. Andreas Gruber, 63, lived on the farm with his wife, Cäzilia, 72, daughter Viktoria, 35, grandchildren Cäzilia, 7, and Josef, 2, and their maid, Maria, 44 were all murdered on the land.
Hinterkaifeck
It was located in a remote part of Germany that mainly consisted of farmlands. The farm belonged within the village of Gröbern. It was the perfect crime scene as it was far away from society and any neighbors…
Weird Goings-On
Six months before the murders, the former family maid quit. She claimed that she heard bizarre sounds throughout the day with no explanation. She genuinely thought that it was haunted.
Haunted? Probably Not
Although that should have been a red flag, the family wasn’t really bothered. Andreas wasn’t even concerned when he found a newspaper from Munich on his property. He assumed that the postman dropped it… But, that wasn’t the case.
Tracks In The Snow?
Just days before the tragedy, Andreas told his neighbors about footprints in the snow that led from the forest to the farm’s machine room. The most concerning part was that there were no footprints showing that whoever went in there left…
House Keys Were Gone, Too
He also said that his house keys were missing. While this was all strange, he never reported this to the police, as his neighbors advised. This was probably his biggest mistake…
In the Middle of the Night
The same night that he found the footsteps, he heard something moving around in the attic of the home. He took a weapon with him as he searched the attic…
Nothing’s There
After investigating, he found no one. After he told neighbors about this bizarre encounter, they told him he needed to call the police. Still, he refused.
Weird Stories
The weirdness doesn’t stop there. A school friend of seven-year-old Cäzilia told investigators that the girl had said her mother ran away from the farm in the middle of the night and they found her in the woods. She also said they kept seeing a man with a mustache standing in the forest. Were these connected?
Why Didn’t They Call the Police?
There were so many red flags and scary happenings… Why didn’t they call the police? It seemed like they were being stalked. Something else had to have been going on…
The Day of the Murders
The new maid, Maria, arrived at the farm in the late afternoon of March 31st, 1922. Her sister had dropped her off, not realizing that was the last time they’d ever see each other.
When Nightfall Hits
That night, something lured Viktoria to the family barn. Then young Cäzilia. Then Andreas. Then the elder Cäzilia. One by one, they were murdered by someone using a mattock.
Maria Was Next
After they were finished with the family, the murderer moved into the main part of the home and zeroed in on Maria. He bludgeoned her in her bedroom.
Lastly, Josef
The murderer saved two-year-old Josef for last. He was murdered in his bassinet, where he was sleeping peacefully.
Four Days
It was four entire days until the family was finally found murdered in their home. They had missed their Sunday worship, young Cäzilia missed school, and the postman even noticed that the family never picked up their Saturday mail.
The Repairman
For some reason, no one reported them as missing or requested a welfare check. It wasn’t until a repairman who had scheduled work on the property showed up that something was done.
Albert Hofner
A man named Albert Hofner arrived at the farm on April 4th to repair the engine of the family’s food chopper. He waited for an hour to speak with someone before just getting to work. No one seemed to be around, but he had a job to finish.
Four Hours Later
It took him four hours to finish the job. He left without seeking out the family. He thought it was weird that he saw no one, but didn’t want to get into their business.
Telling a Friend
Hofner told the daughters of Lorenz Schlittenbauer about the weird emptiness of the farm. That prompted them to tell their father, who sent his sons Johan, 16, and Josef, 9, to the farm to see the family.
No One
The two boys couldn’t make contact with the family. So, Schlittenbauer decided to head over there himself. Finally, after four days, the family had been found…
It Was Gruesome
The police reported to the gruesome scene. They had almost nothing to go off of, other than the fact that the family had been murdered by a mattock that was not at the crime scene.
Killer At Large
It was unclear as to who possibly could have killed them or why. They ruled out a robbery as there were many things, such as large sums of money and jewelry, were left untouched.
They Lived In The Home After the Murders
It was apparent that whoever murdered the family lived in the home for a couple of days after the crimes. Neighbors said that they saw smoke from the chimney the weekend that the family was already dead.
No Leads
They had no idea what to go off of. The police interrogated tons of people from random villagers to vagrants.
The Insane Suspect List
The suspects that the police listed are insane. They truly had nothing to go off of (they didn’t even take fingerprints). So, they got to work to compile the weirdest suspect list… They had to cover all of the basics!
Viktoria’s Dead Husband
One of them even involved Viktoria’s dead husband who died in WWI. His body was never recovered, so police felt that he could have come back to kill them. There were rumors that Viktoria had an incestuous relationship with her father, after all…
Josef Was Not Her Husband’s Child
Plus, there was the suspicion that Viktoria had two-year-old Josef in her husband’s absence. So, if her husband had survived, that would all be a decent alibi. After some more investigating, the police kind of realized he had definitely died.
Lorenz Schlittenbauer
Yes, the man who found the family! There were rumors that he actually fathered young Josef with Viktoria. He was acting very suspiciously around the investigation. He always had bizarre comments about the case…
Random People
The police did not want to rule anyone out. They listed off random people who worked with Andreas who didn’t like him, any of Viktoria’s possible lovers, and other convicted criminals who have murdered or robbed someone before.
It Was Left Unsolved
To this day, no one knows who committed the murders. The police were not able to trace down a single suspect, or even if there was more than one murderer.