The evening of March 31, 1922 was just like any other evening for the residents of Hinterkaifeck farmstead. Nevertheless, for the Grubers, a family of five, it was the last evening of their lives. One of the most puzzling crimes in modern German history, Hinterkaifeck farmstead murder remains unsolved.
Murdered family members:
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The five of six victims were part of the Gruber family, which earned its livelihood by farming. The head of the family was Andreas Gruber (63) who lived with his wife Cäzilia aged 72. Their widowed daughter Viktoria Gabriel aged 35 and her two children, Cäzilia (7) and Josef (2) also lived in the house. The sixth victim was the 44-year-old ill-fated maid named Maria Baumgartner, who joined the family on that fateful day.
Series of strange happenings:
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A strange thing happened a few days prior to the crime that complicated the case further. Andreas Gruber discovered footprints in the snow leading from the forest to his farm, but none leading back. He also heard footsteps of an adult walking slowly in the attic and found an unfamiliar newspaper near his farm. The house keys were nowhere to be found just a couple of days before the unfortunate incidence.
In addition, the previous maid left the job just a few of days before the infamous murders because she thought that the farm was haunted. Maria was new to the farm, having only just arrived oddly, that day, as a replacement for the previous maid. Surprisingly, she did not report the occurrence of these strange and suspicious activities to the police.
How and where the murders were committed:
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On the fateful night, an unidentified person used an axe handle to murder four members of the family in the barn. The two-year-old Josef, also met the same fate while sleeping in his mother’s bedroom. The unfortunate maid was brutally murdered while sleeping in her bedchamber. Among the victims, Cäzilia met the most horrifying end, as she was alive for some time after being attacked and she reeled in extreme pain.
The murders remained unknown for few days. When no member of the family was seen for many days, the neighbors went to check on them and discovered the crime. The local police tried its level best to nail down the criminal but could not succeed in finding a viable suspect with a strong reason for murder.
