The Murders of Hinterkaifeck Farm

Till this day, it is unknown who committed the murders on the Hinterkaifeck, the German farmstead which claimed the lives of six. This included the farmer Andreas Gruber and his wife Cäzilia as well as their widowed daughter Viktoria Gabriel, her two children, Cäzilia and Josef and the maid, Maria Baumgartner. In the days leading up to the murders, Andreas mentioned to his neighbours that he found footprints that were left in the snow leading to the farm from the edge of the forrest, however here were no footsteps leading back. He also told them that he heard footstep in the attic of their home during the night. Additionally, the keys to the house went missing days before the murders as well. The previous house maid who quit and left the farm six months prior to the crime insisting it was haunted, the current maid starting working the day of the which the murders took place. She was only on the farm for a few hours before her murder. 

The Hinterkaifeck Farm Source

Only Victoria’s son Josef was murdered in his crib and the maid murdered in her bed chamber. The rest of the victims were taken to the family barn and murdered there. The bodies in the barn were found stacked on top of each other. The following days after the murder, the cattle remained being fed, meals were eaten in the house, neighbours also reported smoke coming from the chimney and the family’s dog was tied up outside when the mail came. This meant the murder lived in the families house for days after slaughtering them all. 

Bodies of the Family in the Barn Source

There weren’t suspects to the crime, only the neighbour Lorenz Schlittenbauer who publicly claimed he was the father of Victoria’s son Josef, however it was later confirm that Josef was the product of incest between Victoria and her father, Andreas. This dismissed Schlittenbauer for having any motive to commit the crime, leaving this mystery unsolved.

References 

1. Ghost Theory - Hinterkaifeck Murders

2. Defrosting Cold Case - Case of the Month

By Vivian Vo (44559380)