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The Hinterkaifeck Murders: Germany's Most Chilling Cold Case.


The Hinterkaifeck Murders on a black background with a blood spatter.
The Hinterkaifeck Murders

On a quiet Bavarian farmstead in 1922, six people were slaughtered in the dead of night. More than a century later, the Hinterkaifeck murders remain Germany’s most baffling—and haunting—unsolved crime.


The Hinterkaifeck Farmhouse of Death

Nestled between the towns of Ingolstadt and Schrobenhausen, the Hinterkaifeck farm was home to the Gruber family: patriarch Andreas, his wife Cäzilia, their widowed daughter Viktoria Gabriel, her two children—Cäzilia and Josef—and the family’s maid, Maria Baumgartner. The remote location, combined with the family's withdrawn nature, kept them isolated. But something sinister had been lurking in the shadows long before the murders occurred.


Just days before the killings, Andreas Gruber confided in neighbors about strange happenings: footsteps in the snow leading to the attic, tools missing, and mysterious sounds above the ceiling at night. A house key went missing. A newspaper appeared on the kitchen table that no one recognized. The previous maid had quit months earlier, claiming the home was haunted. And yet, no one could have predicted the carnage to come.


The Crime

On March 31, 1922, someone lured Andreas, Cäzilia (senior), Viktoria, and little Cäzilia (junior) into the barn—one by one—and murdered them with a Kreuzhacken, a mattock-style pickaxe. The killer then entered the house and murdered two-year-old Josef and the maid, Maria, in their beds.


Disturbingly, the killer stayed on the property for several days afterward. Neighbors saw smoke rising from the chimney. Livestock were fed. Meals were prepared. The bodies weren’t discovered until April 4, when neighbors and mail carriers, alarmed by the silence and neglected chores, checked in.


The Investigation

Police quickly realized this was no ordinary murder. There were no signs of forced entry. The scene was orderly, almost ritualistic. The bodies were stacked, partially covered with hay or cloth. Viktoria showed signs of strangulation and sexual assault. Her daughter had clumps of hair torn from her head, suggesting she survived long enough to witness the aftermath.

Over 100 suspects were questioned. Multiple theories emerged:

  • Karl Gabriel, Viktoria’s supposedly dead husband, had faked his death in WWI and returned in a jealous rage.

  • Lorenz Schlittenbauer, a neighbor and alleged lover of Viktoria, discovered the bodies and behaved suspiciously.

  • Incest and blackmail theories suggested someone was punishing the family for a taboo relationship between Andreas and Viktoria.

In 2007, German police reopened the files and reanalyzed the evidence. They even narrowed it down to a likely suspect—but out of respect for surviving relatives, the name was never publicly released. With no living witnesses and the physical evidence long degraded, the case officially remains unsolved.


Why the Hinterkaifeck Murders Still Haunt Us

The Hinterkaifeck murders represent the perfect storm of isolation, fear, and unanswered questions. This wasn’t just a massacre—it was prolonged, personal, and eerily methodical. The idea that the killer may have lived among the victims for days, perhaps even longer before the crime, is the stuff of nightmares.


This case continues to baffle criminologists, historians, and amateur sleuths worldwide. Reddit threads speculate. Podcasts dissect. Cold case experts still theorize.

And the old farmhouse? It was torn down in 1923. A small shrine marks the land, but the whispers from the attic echo still.


Final Thoughts

The Hinterkaifeck murders are more than a historical curiosity—they are a chilling reminder of how deeply evil can embed itself in the mundane. It's a case where time has offered no solace, no closure. Just silence.


If you're drawn to unsolved mysteries, this one is a masterclass in the sinister, the strange, and the unspeakable.


Sources used for this podcast:

General Sources

·       Campos, D. P. (n.d.). Into the eyes of children: The Hinterkaifeck horror. Retrieved from https://www.darlenepcampos.com/post/into-the-eyes-of-children-the-hinterkaifeck-horror

·       Dark Histories. (n.d.). The Hinterkaifeck murders. Retrieved from https://www.darkhistories.com/the-hinterkaifeck-murders/

·       Defrosting Cold Cases. (n.d.). Case of the month: Hinterkaifeck. Retrieved from https://defrostingcoldcases.com/case-month-hinterkaifeck/

·       Ice Cold Cases. (n.d.). Horror at Hinterkaifeck. Retrieved from https://icecoldcases.com/cases/f/horror-at-hinterkaifeck

·       Mental Floss. (2017, September 7). The chilling story of the Hinterkaifeck killings, Germany’s most famous unsolved crime. Retrieved from https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502044/chilling-story-hinterkaifeck-killings-germanys-most-famous-unsolved-crime

·       Reddit. (n.d.). Who do you honestly believe committed the Hinterkaifeck murders? Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/UnsolvedMurders/comments/18hvjn2/so_who_do_you_honestly_believe_committed_the/

·       Reddit. (n.d.). The Hinterkaifeck murders. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueCrime/comments/wuxzsv/the_hinterkaifeck_murders/

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·       The True Crime Database. (n.d.). Hinterkaifeck murders. Retrieved from https://www.thetruecrimedatabase.com/case_file/hinterkaifeck-murders/

·       Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Hinterkaifeck murders. Wikipedia. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinterkaifeck_murders

·       Hinterkaifeck.net. (n.d.). Hinterkaifeck. Retrieved from https://www.hinterkaifeck.net/

·       The Art Bog. (n.d.). The sinister Hinterkaifeck murders: Influence on art and literature. Retrieved from https://theartbog.com/the-sinister-hinterkaifeck-murders-influence-on-art-and-literature/wp-admin/install.php

·       Magers & Quinn Booksellers. (n.d.). Hinterkaifeck. Retrieved from https://www.magersandquinn.com/product/HINTERKAIFECK/26127883

 

Photo Sources

·       10 Minute Murder. (n.d.). Six murders. No answers: What happened at Hinterkaifeck? Retrieved from https://www.10minutemurder.com/blog/six-murders-no-answers-what-happened-at-hinterkaifeck/

·       Goodreads. (n.d.). Hinterkaifeck. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13553549

·       Hinterkaifeck.ch. (n.d.). Hinterkaifeck. Retrieved from https://www.hinterkaifeck.ch/

·       Medium. (n.d.). Germany’s oldest unsolved massacre. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-mystery-box/the-hinterkaifeck-murders-germanys-oldest-unsolved-massacre-17dea740e031

·       Purcell, K. (2023). True crime: Hinterkaifeck. LinkedIn. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kerry-purcell-469100141_truecrime-hinterkaifeck-twoqueens-activity-7092602681969512449-M4HX/

·       Strange Outdoors. (n.d.). Hinterkaifeck farm. Retrieved from https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/true-crime-in-the-outdoors/hinterkaifeck-farm

·       The True Crime Database. (n.d.). Hinterkaifeck murders. Retrieved from https://www.thetruecrimedatabase.com/case_file/hinterkaifeck-murders/

·       Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Hinterkaifeck murders. Wikipedia. Retrieved June 2, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinterkaifeck_murders

·       MurderHouse.com. (n.d.). The suspects. Retrieved from https://murderhouse.com/the-house-and-murders/suspects/

 

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·       Bouchard, L. (Creator). (2011). Bob’s Burgers (Season 11, Episode 9) [TV series]. Fox.

·       Kelley, D. E. (Creator). (2011). Revenge (Season 1, Episode 3) [TV series]. ABC.

·       HBO. (2016). Game of Thrones (Season 6, Episode 8) [TV series]. HBO.

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DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY

All information contained in this audio podcast or video presentation is provided for entertainment purposes only. The authors leave any and all conclusions to individual members of the audience. The author offers no statements of fact beyond those available through diligent private research or through information freely available in the public record. To the extent that pending or settled criminal matters or crime or possible crimes, are discussed in this audio podcast or video presentation. All parties or defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. To the extent that any pending or settled civil matters are discussed in this video presentation, all parties or defendants are presumed not liable unless proven liable in a court of law. Copyright for material incorporated and presented under Fair Use is retained by the original author or copyright holder where applicable. Our cases are researched using open source and archive materials, and the subjects are real crimes and people. We strive to produce each episode with respect to the victims, their families and loved ones. At Hitched 2 Homicide we are committed to always discussing how victims lived, and not just how they died. All podcast information is gleaned from sources given. All opinions in the podcast are solely of Hitched 2 Homicide and are for entertainment purposes only.

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