19 documented events · 5 mapped locations · unresolved case
Six people—Andreas and Cäzilia Gruber, their widowed daughter Viktoria Gabriel, her children Cäzilia and Josef, and newly arrived maid Maria Baumgartner—were killed at the isolated Hinterkaifeck farmstead in Bavaria on the night of...
Six people—Andreas and Cäzilia Gruber, their widowed daughter Viktoria Gabriel, her children Cäzilia and Josef, and newly arrived maid Maria Baumgartner—were killed at the isolated Hinterkaifeck farmstead in Bavaria on the night of March 31, 1922. Four victims were found in the barn and two in the residence on April 4. Investigators concluded that severe head injuries caused the deaths; a Reuthaue, a mattock-like farm tool believed to be the weapon, was recovered during the farm’s demolition in 1923. Reports that animals were fed and the property used after the killings suggest post-crime activity, but do not establish who remained or for how long. Extensive investigations and a 2007 police-academy review did not produce charges, and the murders remain unsolved.
Case record
Official 1922 exterior of the Hinterkaifeck farmstead
Recent developments
Recent reporting and official developments, labeled by source and verification status.
Apr 26, 2026 · Der unerklärliche Podcast
Der unerklärliche Podcast released a German-language retrospective on the six killings, the crime scene, and the competing explanations that have accumulated around the case.
Context
This is a media retrospective, not a new investigative development; disputed claims should be checked against archival sources.
Mar 16, 2026 · Generaldirektion der Staatlichen Archive Bayerns
The Bavarian State Archives presented a temporary exhibition and downloadable catalog built from surviving police, prosecution, and court records, clarifying the documented chronology and limits of the investigation.
Context
The exhibition did not announce a newly identified suspect or a law-enforcement resolution of the murders.
The scale
Key figures are drawn from the published case record.
The case sequence
This selection follows the major progression of the case from its earliest documented event through the latest material development.
See all 5 mapped locations →Jan 1, 1863
The farm at Hinterkaifeck was built around 1863 in rural Upper Bavaria.
Mar 1, 1922
Andreas found a Munich newspaper no one nearby subscribed to; fresh tracks led from the woods to the farm; a key went missing; footsteps were heard in the attic.
Apr 3, 1922
Postman Josef Mayer noticed the farm appeared unattended during his delivery round.
Apr 8, 1922
Thousands reportedly attended the funeral; the victims were buried in the Waidhofen cemetery.
May 1, 1927
A stranger reportedly identified himself as the murderer to a resident before fleeing; the claim was never verified.
Mar 1, 2025
After the earlier wayside cross (Marterl) was removed in 2022, a new memorial was erected near the former farmstead.
How the record develops
The farm at Hinterkaifeck was built around 1863 in rural Upper Bavaria.
Thousands reportedly attended the funeral; the victims were buried in the Waidhofen cemetery.
After the earlier wayside cross (Marterl) was removed in 2022, a new memorial was erected near the former farmstead.
After the earlier wayside cross (Marterl) was removed in 2022, a new memorial was erected near the former farmstead.
Explore the visual record →Where certainty changes
Open each layer to see what the archive treats as core, contested, or unresolved.
Go deeper
This overview is the map. The case tabs hold the underlying events, people, media, locations, and source material.