In 1922, on a quiet farmstead in the woods of Bavaria, Germany, six people were brutally murdered with a pickaxe—and the killer was never found. The Hinterkaifeck case remains one of the most chilling unsolved murder mysteries in European history, made more disturbing by the strange occurrences leading up to the crime… and the horrifying details discovered after.
Isolated, rural, and wrapped in silence, the Hinterkaifeck farm became a slaughterhouse overnight—and nearly a century later, its mystery is no closer to being solved.
The Victims
The six victims included:
- Andreas Gruber (63) – the patriarch, known to be harsh and unliked
- Cäzilia Gruber (72) – his wife
- Victoria Gabriel (35) – their widowed daughter
- Cäzilia Gabriel (7) – Victoria’s daughter
- Josef Gabriel (2) – Victoria’s son, possibly fathered by Andreas
- Maria Baumgartner (44) – the maid, who had just started working there that day
All were found murdered on the property. The first four were killed in the barn, lured there one by one. The child Josef and the new maid were murdered in their beds inside the house.
The Lead-Up: Strange Events Before the Murders
In the days before the massacre, Andreas Gruber told neighbors and family about odd happenings on the farm:
- Footprints leading from the woods to the house—but none returning
- Strange noises in the attic, though no one was found
- A newspaper appeared in the home that no one recognized
- Keys went missing
The previous maid had quit because she believed the house was haunted. On March 31, 1922, Maria Baumgartner arrived to take her place. That same night, the entire household was murdered.
The Discovery
Several days passed before anyone noticed the family was missing. Neighbors became concerned when no one had been seen tending to the farm or attending church.
When they entered the home, what they found was nightmarish:
- In the barn, four bodies were stacked atop one another and covered in hay
- Inside the house, Josef and Maria were found murdered in their rooms
- All had been killed with a mattock, a pickaxe-like farm tool
- The skulls had been crushed and cleaved, some showing signs of repeated blows
Worse still—the killer appeared to have stayed in the house for days after the murders:
- The livestock had been fed
- Food had been eaten from the kitchen
- The chimney was smoking
The Investigation
Despite interviewing over 100 suspects, police could never conclusively solve the crime. Some of the most prominent theories include:
1. A Local Enemy
Andreas Gruber was widely disliked. Known for incestuous abuse of Victoria and general cruelty, it’s believed someone in the village might have sought revenge.
2. Victoria’s Lover or the Father of Josef
Josef’s paternity was unclear. Some believed Lorenz Schlittenbauer, a neighbor and former lover of Victoria, was the father. He acted strangely after the crime—entering the house alone and disturbing the bodies.
3. A Robbery Gone Wrong
While nothing appeared stolen, investigators considered robbery as a motive. But the calculated nature of the killings and the lack of evidence for theft made this unlikely.
4. A Drifter or Escaped Convict
There were rumors of a vagrant spotted near the woods. However, there was no sign of forced entry—and the killer had to be familiar with farm life to care for animals and remain undetected.
The Chilling Legacy
- The Hinterkaifeck farm was demolished in 1923. A memorial cross stands in its place.
- In 2007, German police conducted a new review of the case with modern techniques. They identified a likely suspect—but chose not to release the name out of respect for surviving family.
To this day, the Hinterkaifeck murders remain Germany’s most mysterious unsolved case.
It wasn’t just a killing—it was a premeditated eradication, committed with patience, precision, and horrifying intimacy. The killer lived among the dead, fed the animals, and disappeared into history.
For more cases like this, explore our archive. SinisterArchive.com—where the legends are real.