Let’s travel back in time to 1922, a year that sits in the aftermath of World War I but still decades away from modern crime scene techniques like DNA testing. This was a time when horse-drawn carts shared roads with early automobiles, and news traveled slowly through papers and word of mouth. People tended to rely on their neighbors, on local gossip, and on the occasional traveling salesman to learn what was going on beyond their own fields or small towns.
Amid that era, something unthinkable happened on a small farmstead in Bavaria. This farm, named Hinterkaifeck, became the scene of one of Germany’s most gruesome and puzzling unsolved murders. Even today, more than a century later, researchers, amateur detectives, and local historians still debate who committed the crime — and why.
On this quiet piece of farmland, six people — a family of five and their new maid — were brutally killed. Then, as if that wasn’t horrifying enough, the murderer (or possibly multiple murderers) stayed on the farm with the bodies for about three days. They apparently ate the family’s food, tended the animals, and carried on some semblance of daily life — right there, in the shadow of the crime.
To this day, nobody has been found guilty, though countless theories exist. Some of these theories sound straightforward; others seem plucked from a horror novel. But each one has a few threads of logic to back it up. Some revolve around a furious neighbor. Others suspect a husband long thought dead in World War I. Still others accuse roving thieves or shady acquaintances.
Why is this story so haunting? Perhaps because it’s not just about the violence, or the bizarre clues, or the big question of whodunnit. It’s also about the strange details leading up to the crime — like weird noises in the attic, or footsteps that appeared in the snow but never led back out.
For almost 100 years, these murders have attracted attention from anyone who loves a good mystery. There are online communities devoted to the case, piles of translated witness statements, and entire websites archiving every piece of data. This fascination isn’t just because it’s unsolved. It also taps into our primal fear of something going bump in the night — a sense that the strangest dangers might be lurking in our own homes.
Part 1: Setting the Stage
A Remote Farm in Bavaria
Hinterkaifeck was a farmstead located near Waidhofen, roughly 70 kilometers (a little over 40 miles) north of Munich, Germany. Today, that distance doesn’t sound like much. You can drive it in about an hour or so, depending on traffic. But in 1922, it felt more isolated, especially for someone living on farmland. Vehicles were slower, roads were rougher, and communication was limited. If you needed help or wanted to contact the police, it took time. This remoteness set the stage for the murders and also, in a way, for their mystique.
When you think of a small, rural farm, you might imagine large open fields dotted with cows, a barn or two, a simple main house, maybe a vegetable garden out back. That’s roughly what Hinterkaifeck was like. Life here was probably a little lonely, and neighbors weren’t necessarily right next door. You had some farmland, outbuildings for animals and machinery, and your own farmhouse for living quarters.
The Gruber-Gabriel Family
Andreas Gruber and his wife, Cäzilia, ran the farm. They were older: Andreas was 63 and Cäzilia was 72. Their widowed daughter, Viktoria Gabriel, age 35, lived there too. She had two children: a 7-year-old daughter named Cäzilia (often referred to as Cäzilia Jr to avoid confusion with her grandmother) and a 2-year-old son named Josef.
Viktoria’s husband, Karl Gabriel, was officially killed in action in 1914 during World War I. However, because his body was never recovered, the possibility that he didn’t die is part of one of the case’s more bizarre theories. We’ll get into that later, but keep it in mind.
Tension in the Family
We should note from the start that all was not peaceful in the Gruber-Gabriel household. For starters, Andreas Gruber had a history of incest with Viktoria. This wasn’t just a rumor; people in town knew about it, and it showed up in legal documents. The father-daughter pair were even convicted at one point. That alone might give you chills, but it goes deeper. Some suspected that baby Josef might actually be Andreas’s son, not Karl’s.
If you’re feeling grossed out, you’re not alone. This detail makes many people uncomfortable. Still, it’s a key piece in the puzzle because it shows the complicated relationships that might have provoked arguments, jealousy, resentment, or at the very least rumors. And in a small rural setting, rumors can grow into legends. This incest issue becomes especially relevant once we dig into the suspects.
A New Maid and Some Old Fear
There had been a previous maid, Kreszenz Rieger, who left the farm about six months before the crime. She claimed the house was haunted. She heard noises, footsteps, and strange mumbling in the attic at night. She got so freaked out that she finally quit.
Andreas, in the weeks before the murders, experienced strange things too. He found a random newspaper on his property that no one admitted buying or subscribing to. He saw footprints in the snow leading from a nearby forest straight to one of his farm’s outbuildings — but none leading back out. A key to the house disappeared. Neighbors offered to help investigate, but Andreas never accepted their help.
In short, the atmosphere at Hinterkaifeck was already tense and downright eerie. It’s as if the family was living in the middle of a ghost story — except this story turned into a brutal homicide.
Part 2: The Unfolding Tragedy
The Night of March 31, 1922
On March 31, 1922, the new maid, Maria Baumgartner, arrived at the farm. Her sister walked her there, stayed for a brief visit, and then left. Maria’s sister was likely the last person to see the family alive. Later that same evening, the murders happened.
Investigators believe that Andreas, Cäzilia (the grandmother), Viktoria, and young Cäzilia Jr were somehow lured to the barn — one by one. That’s a horrifying thought. Perhaps one family member heard a noise in the barn, walked out to check, didn’t return, and the next person went to see why. One by one, each met the same fate.
Inside the barn, their bodies were found bludgeoned, likely with a mattock (a tool similar to a pickaxe). Cäzilia Jr, the 7-year-old girl, lived for a few hours after the attack. She tore out clumps of her own hair. She also had her throat slit. It’s almost unbearable to imagine the terror she must have felt.
Then, the killer went into the living quarters. They murdered the maid, Maria, in her room. They also killed baby Josef, who was just 2, while he was lying in his cot. It seems like no one was spared.
A Killer Living on the Farm?
If these murders weren’t already horrific enough, the strangest part might be what happened next. Neighbors say animals were fed after the murders. Food supplies in the kitchen were used up. Smoke was seen coming from the chimney. Somebody was living in that farmhouse for at least three days, with the victims’ bodies still on the property.
Who could do that? Why would they do that? And how did nobody catch them in the act? These questions have haunted investigators, both official and amateur, for decades.
Discovery of the Bodies
Four days passed before anyone found out what happened. That’s when a neighbor, Lorenz Schlittenbauer, sent his teenage son and stepson to check on the family. They couldn’t find anyone, so Lorenz returned himself with two friends, Michael and Jakob. Together, they made a horrifying discovery in the barn: four gruesome bodies hidden under some straw.
Lorenz also had a key to the house — a fact that made many people suspicious. He went into the house alone, discovered Maria and Josef, and soon the entire area was plunged into a nightmare.
Part 3: Clues, Sightings, and Strange Events
April 1: Two Strangers at the Forest Edge
Shortly after the murders, on April 1, a farmer passing by around 3 a.m. saw two mysterious figures near the forest’s edge. They turned away when they saw him, almost as though they didn’t want him to see their faces. He found it odd, especially at that late hour. Were they involved? No one knows.
Salesmen, Hunters, and a Midnight Visitor
Later that same day, two salesmen came knocking. They sold coffee door to door, a common occupation at the time. Nobody answered, so they wandered around the yard. They saw the door to the machine house open, but no one around. Feeling uneasy, they left.
A bit later, two hunters arrived, hoping to buy something from the family — maybe eggs, milk, or other farm goods. Again, they found the place deserted. There wasn’t even smoke coming from the chimney. No chickens in sight. Nobody came to greet them. They left too.
That night, a man named Michael Plöckl passed by. He saw a light in the farmhouse oven and smelled an awful odor coming from the chimney. Then, a man shone a lantern or flashlight in his face and moved back into the courtyard. Michael got so scared that he took off running. He told people about it, but nobody truly investigated his claims.
April 2 and 3: Odd Silences
On Sunday, April 2, villagers grew suspicious because the entire Gruber-Gabriel family missed church. Viktoria normally sang in the choir. People noticed her absence. Then, little Cäzilia Jr was marked absent at school on Monday, April 3. The postman saw no one when he dropped by that day. Usually, at least the grandmother or the toddler might have been spotted in the kitchen window. Something was clearly wrong.
April 4: The Repairman and the Final Discovery
By April 4, a repairman came to work on the food chopper engine. He waited an hour, but nobody greeted him. He heard animals, but didn’t see any people. So he fixed the machine himself and left.
Later that day, neighbor Lorenz decided to check on the farm. He sent his 16-year-old son and 9-year-old stepson first. They came back saying the place seemed deserted. Finally, Lorenz went over with his friends Michael and Jakob. That’s when they found the four bodies in the barn. Investigations soon began, though the police might not have come as quickly or thoroughly as we’d expect today.
Part 4: The Investigation
Limited Tools and Contaminated Scene
In 1922, forensic science was primitive. Fingerprinting existed, but DNA analysis did not. Investigators couldn’t rely on advanced technology. They mostly used close observation, witness interviews, and any physical evidence they could see with the naked eye. Adding to the difficulty, multiple people had walked through the crime scene, moved the bodies, and handled items. By the time the police arrived, they found a scene compromised by well-intentioned neighbors.
Autopsies in the Barn
A court physician performed autopsies on the victims in the barn itself, probably because the bodies had already been discovered there and it was easier than moving them all into a morgue. He confirmed that the weapon was likely a mattock. However, the actual murder weapon wasn’t found on site at that time. Later, parts of a potential murder weapon were discovered when the farm was demolished about a year after the murders.
Interestingly, the skulls were removed and sent to Munich for further study. Those skulls were eventually lost during World War II and never returned. This is another piece of the macabre puzzle: the missing heads of the victims.
No Solid Motive
One of the toughest parts of this case is that no clear motive stood out. Police first assumed a robbery, but a large sum of money remained in the house, untouched. So they questioned traveling workers, homeless people, and even random passersby. Nothing panned out.
Some suggested a grudge, others pointed to potential family drama. The incest, the possibility of unwanted pregnancies, and the rumor that Andreas was harsh or violent — any of these might have provoked extreme behavior. But no one had any proof strong enough to pin down a murderer.
The Day-After Clue That Was Never Investigated
Remember Michael Plöckl’s story about the man shining a light in his face while the oven was burning something foul-smelling? Investigators never really followed up. Nobody seemed to check what might have been burned in that oven. Could it have been blood-soaked clothes? Could the murderer have destroyed evidence that night? We’ll never know.
The Last Interrogations
Officially, the files were closed in 1955. That’s 33 years after the murders, and they still hadn’t found enough evidence to solve it. Yet the case didn’t fully die. In 1986, Chief Detective Konrad Müller interviewed a few more people, trying to see if time had loosened tongues or caused new confessions. Nothing major came of it. As it stands, the Hinterkaifeck murders remain unsolved.
Part 5: Suspects (and More Suspects)
If there’s one part of this story that keeps people busy, it’s the suspect list. Over the years, locals and officials came up with multiple theories, each hinging on a different piece of evidence or rumor. Let’s walk through the main players.
Suspect #1: Karl Gabriel, The Possibly “Dead” Husband
Viktoria’s husband, Karl, was said to have died on a French battlefield in 1914. But some people insisted he never died at all. His body was never recovered, so that rumor lingered. Could Karl have come home to find his wife involved in incest with her father, gone into a rage, and killed everyone?
This theory was popular for a while, especially because a few men returning from Soviet captivity after World War II claimed they’d met a German-speaking officer who bragged about being the “Hinterkaifeck murderer.” Some suggested it was Karl. Others insisted they saw Karl near Hinterkaifeck in 1918, well after his official death date.
Ultimately, official records and legal documents decided that Karl did die in 1914. He was buried in a mass grave. By December 12, 1923 (nine years after his reported death), Karl was more or less ruled out by investigators because they found enough proof of his death. So that’s one suspect off the list — or, if you’re a conspiracy lover, maybe not entirely. For most mainstream accounts, though, Karl is considered an unlikely culprit.
Suspect #2: Lorenz Schlittenbauer, The Neighbor
If you follow any deep dive into this case, you’ll find one name repeated over and over: Lorenz Schlittenbauer, the man who discovered the bodies. He had a key to the house. He entered alone right after finding four corpses in the barn. He claimed he was searching for his son Josef—though the 9-year-old stepson Josef had already come back from the farm. This was very confusing for his friends, Michael and Jakob, who were with him.
Here’s a big chunk of the background: Lorenz had a relationship with Viktoria shortly after his first wife died in 1918. Viktoria gave birth to baby Josef in 1919 and named Lorenz as the father. Lorenz, however, said no way—he believed Andreas was the father because Viktoria had confided in him about their incest. He even reported Andreas to the authorities, who arrested Andreas in September 1919. Viktoria begged Lorenz to recant, and eventually, Andreas was released from custody.
Later, Lorenz officially recognized Josef as his son, but the entire situation caused a huge rift. Some suspect that Lorenz was the killer because he wanted to end the financial strain or he was furious about the incest or some combination of both. Another angle: if Josef was truly Lorenz’s son, then if Viktoria died, Lorenz might inherit the farm. That gave him a potential motive.
Even so, there’s no direct proof that he did it. The key might have been a spare key Viktoria gave him, or it might have been the key that vanished from the farm. Lorenz said he had no idea about any missing key. He also explained his calmness around the bodies as shock and concern for his own child’s welfare (if indeed baby Josef was his).
Over the years, Lorenz was repeatedly accused and sometimes slandered by townspeople who called him the Kaifecker murderer. He filed multiple lawsuits, winning some of them. Still, the suspicion never went away. He died in 1941. Despite the many theories, the police never had enough to charge him.
Suspect #3: Anton and Adolf Gump
In 1951, a woman named Kreszentia Mayer claimed on her deathbed that her brothers, Anton and Adolf Gump, were responsible for the murders. Kreszentia apparently disliked them and told two different pastors about it. One local prosecutor found some reason to believe that Adolf might have had a relationship with Viktoria, felt enraged about the incest, and decided to kill everyone at the farm.
But Adolf died in 1944. Investigators eventually spoke to Anton, but they didn’t gather enough evidence to move forward. It remains an interesting claim: a sister accusing her brothers on her deathbed. But no definitive proof came out of it. Many believe Kreszentia simply had a grudge.
Suspect #4: Karl and Andreas Schreier
This is another pair of brothers who come up in rumors. In 1971, a woman named Therese T. (details on her last name are often missing) said her mother had once gotten a confession from the Schreier brothers’ mother. The story: the brothers committed the crime, and their mom eventually felt so guilty that she ended her own life in a horrific manner—by setting a fire in her kitchen and sitting on a pyre soaked in kerosene.
But again, official records show the case against them fizzled. By September 1922, the arrest warrant was dropped, and the investigation ended. Without further evidence, the Schreier angle remains another unproven tale.
Suspect #5: Anton and Karl Bichler, and Their Friend Georg Siegl
Now we’re moving into territory where a handful of people were suspected mainly by the former maid, Kreszenz Rieger. She believed that Anton and Karl Bichler, along with Georg Siegl, might have done it. She had various reasons: she claimed that Anton threatened the family and that the dog never barked at him—implying some familiarity.
Georg admitted to carving the handle of the murder weapon when he was employed at the farm. He also admitted he knew where the mattock was kept. But there wasn’t enough evidence to pin them down. Another dead end, or so it seemed.
Suspect #6: The Thaler Brothers
Again, the maid Kreszenz pointed to two more brothers, Andreas and Josef Thaler, who allegedly spied on the house. She remembered them coming to her window at night, asking where Viktoria slept. She said they looked at the stable and the machine room in a suspicious way. In the months before the murders, that same machine room door lock was found broken. But once again, no solid proof was uncovered, and the Thaler angle fizzled out.
Part 6: Looking Deeper into the Strange Details
Why the Barn?
One piece of this story that chills many readers is the idea that four family members ended up in the barn, seemingly one by one. Did the killer trick them, or threaten them, or lure them with some crisis, such as an animal in distress? It’s plausible that each person heard a noise or scream, went to help, and was taken by surprise.
But neighbors later tested how sounds traveled. They discovered that if someone screamed in the barn, you might not hear it from inside the house. This helps explain why the rest of the family—and the maid—didn’t come rushing all at once.
The Dog
Yes, the family dog survived. He was a German Spitz known for being loyal and loud. Neighbors said he barked at everyone…unless he knew you. This dog was found tied up in the barn with a bit of an injury. After the bodies were discovered, the dog was sent to live with Karl Gabriel’s relatives. He’s often hailed as a silver lining in this tragedy, the one innocent life that lived through it.
Many people wonder why the dog didn’t raise an alarm—barking during the murders, or in the days that followed. The killer might have been someone the dog recognized. Or perhaps the dog did bark, but in such an isolated area, nobody noticed. We’ll never truly know.
The Missing Key
One bizarre detail: a key to the house went missing shortly before the murders. It could be the same key Lorenz used, or it could be a different one. Nobody can say for certain. It fits into the theme of creeping dread that overshadowed the place in those final days.
Attic Footsteps
Both Andreas and the former maid, Kreszenz, believed they heard footsteps in the attic. Andreas searched the property one night but found no intruder. A lot of people now suspect the killer might have been hiding out up there, maybe studying the family’s routine and waiting for the right moment. That might also explain how they fed the animals unseen for days after the crime.
Part 7: Larger Context and Speculation
Life in Post-War Germany
It’s worth remembering that Germany in 1922 was experiencing political and economic turmoil. The aftermath of World War I left the country in shambles. Inflation was skyrocketing. People were out of work. Soldiers were returning home injured, traumatized, or not returning at all. These conditions sometimes fueled desperate actions—robberies, revenge attacks, or simmering grudges in small communities.
While that doesn’t solve the crime, it does paint a backdrop. If money was found in the house, maybe robbery wasn’t the motive. But if the killer (or killers) had some personal vendetta, or if there was a mental health crisis, or a hidden reason we’ll never see on paper, the murder might not follow the usual logic of a burglary.
The Dark Possibility of Multiple Perpetrators
Some theories argue that more than one person committed this crime. Feeding the animals, eating the bread, staying hidden for days—it might have been easier with two or more people. Maybe two criminals planned to steal from the farm, realized the family recognized them, and decided to silence all the witnesses. The incest angle, the rumored fatherhood of baby Josef, the possible involvement of a scorned lover—these might have lit the fuse.
Why Leave the Money?
That’s one of the biggest mysteries. If the criminals were thieves, why not take the family’s money? Some say they were rummaging for valuables they never found or that they panicked. Others insist the murders were purely personal, with no interest in robbery. Yet the killer(s) stuck around for days, apparently unafraid. They even took the time to feed the livestock. This does not sound like the typical frantic flight of a robber.
Part 8: Torn by Investigations, Rumors, and Grief
Contamination of the Scene
We touched on this before, but it’s critical to underscore just how compromised the crime scene was. If you watch modern crime shows or read about famous murder investigations of the 20th and 21st centuries, you know preserving a crime scene is crucial. In 1922, and especially in a rural setting, people didn’t know about contamination the way we do today. Neighbors felt compelled to help, so they moved bodies, straightened up the barn, and rummaged around. By the time the police arrived, any footprints or traces the murderer might have left were likely trampled over.
Lost Skulls
It’s almost like something out of a gothic horror novel: the family’s skulls, which were essential evidence, were lost during the chaos of World War II. They were supposed to be returned to their final resting place, but that never happened. This robs future investigators of the chance to analyze them with modern techniques. For instance, a forensics lab today might glean new clues from fractures on skulls that older methods overlooked.
Rumors That Never Died
In the decades that followed, locals sometimes swore they heard confessions from drunken relatives, or that they found old diaries hinting at the truth. These stories rarely made it far in an official sense. Some were confirmed as hoaxes. Others remain unprovable. A few times, the police reopened or reinvestigated the case, only to shut it again. The rumors thus became part of the folklore of the region, fueling more speculation but no real closure.
Part 9: Deep Dives into Key Suspicions
A Closer Look at Lorenz
In many retellings of the Hinterkaifeck murders, Lorenz Schlittenbauer stands out for a few reasons:
- He had a personal link: A romantic relationship with Viktoria and potential fatherhood of Josef.
- He had the key: This bizarre detail is often pointed to as a sign of guilty knowledge.
- He discovered the bodies: Often, in murder cases, the person who “discovers” the crime scene can be suspect, though not always.
- His calm reaction: People said he wasn’t visibly horrified, which might suggest guilt—but it could also be shock.
- His lawsuits: He took legal action against anyone calling him the murderer. Some see that as a defensive strategy by an innocent man. Others see it as a cover-up by a guilty one.
To be fair, it’s easy to see how a neighbor who was intimately involved with the victim might be high on the suspect list. If he truly wanted to marry Viktoria and Andreas opposed it, that could spark violent rage. Or if he simply lost his temper when she demanded child support, that might also be motive.
But let’s consider the alternative. Maybe Lorenz was honestly worried about the family. Having a key would be normal if Viktoria gave it to him—perhaps when they were on good terms. Entering the house first could simply have been the action of a man who felt paternal protectiveness toward baby Josef. In other words, suspicion alone doesn’t equal guilt.
The Gump Connection
The story about the Gump brothers is often overshadowed by Lorenz’s story, but it’s worth noting. Kreszentia Mayer told a pastor not once, but twice, that her brothers did it. If you believe a deathbed confession has weight, you might consider them prime suspects. But was Kreszentia mentally sound at the time? Did she have a vendetta against her siblings? The police did look into it, but the evidence wasn’t enough.
The Schreier Brothers and the Unverified Tale
The idea of a mother discovering her sons committed multiple murders and then torching herself out of guilt feels like something from a horror film. It’s possible that bits of the story are true and others are exaggerated or fabricated over the decades. Without official police documents verifying it, we only have rumor.
Part 10: Emotional Aftermath and Last Thoughts
The Survivors’ Grief
Though we focus on the victims and the whodunit question, we should remember there were extended relatives, neighbors, and townspeople who were horrified by what happened. Imagine being a close friend or neighbor, knowing you had walked by that barn or visited the farm only days—or hours—before the murders. That sort of shock can shake a community for years.
The Farm’s Fate
Hinterkaifeck didn’t stay standing for long. Within a year, the entire farm was demolished. During demolition, workers found a hidden mattock and a pocketknife in the attic. No one knows why they weren’t discovered earlier. Some say the killer concealed them well; others say the search just wasn’t thorough. Either way, these discoveries came too late to make a decisive difference.
A Lingering Shadow
Even now, you can find memorials or references to the “Kaifeck murders” in local folklore. It’s become a cautionary tale and a curious tourist attraction for the region. But the families of those involved still carry some measure of that legacy. For them, it’s not just a scary mystery—it’s a family tragedy. People lost mothers, fathers, siblings, neighbors, and friends.
Could This Ever Be Solved?
Some hope that modern forensic technology might crack the case—if new evidence is discovered or if those missing skulls turn up. But we’re dealing with an entire century of lost, destroyed, or mishandled evidence. Unless a direct written confession is found (maybe hidden in an attic somewhere) or a family heirloom reveals a major clue, the Hinterkaifeck murders will likely remain unsolved.
Part 11: A Day-by-Day Timeline Recap
Since this story can be confusing, here’s a concise but expanded timeline. This is just to solidify the sequence:
- Late 1921/Early 1922: The family experiences weird happenings—footsteps in the attic, missing keys, a strange newspaper, and footprints in the snow.
- March 31, 1922: New maid Maria Baumgartner arrives in the afternoon. That night, between evening and late night, the entire family is murdered.
- April 1, 1922 (Saturday):
- A farmer sees two unknown people near the forest around 3 a.m. They turn away when they spot him.
- Two door-to-door salesmen visit but find no one.
- Two hunters also visit, see no sign of life, and leave.
- Late that night, Michael Plöckl passes the farm, sees light in the oven, smells something foul from the chimney, and flees after a man shines a lantern in his face.
- April 2, 1922 (Sunday):
- The family doesn’t show up for church. Viktoria misses choir.
- Friends go to the farm, try to see if Viktoria wants to walk to church, find no one.
- April 3, 1922 (Monday):
- Young Cäzilia Jr is absent from school without excuse.
- The postman comes by; he sees no one around.
- April 4, 1922 (Tuesday):
- A repairman arrives to fix the food chopper, waits an hour, hears animals, but finds no people. He does the repair on his own.
- Later, Lorenz Schlittenbauer sends his sons to check the farm. They see nothing.
- Lorenz goes himself with two friends and finds the four bodies in the barn. He uses a key to enter the house alone and finds the maid Maria and baby Josef murdered as well.
- Afterward:
- Police are notified. Investigations begin. Neighbors and friends, in an attempt to help, move the bodies and items, contaminating evidence.
- The autopsies take place in the barn. The heads are sent to Munich and never returned.
