Prosecutors say DNA forensics applied 28 years after the murders of five people near Lüneburg in northern Germany have hardened the case against a gardener. He committed suicide in detention in 1993.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Schulze
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Lüneburg's Landeszeitung newspaper reported on Thursday that two mysterious double murders that gripped Germany in 1989 had largely been solved, primarily thanks to new DNA analysis of two hairs found at the scene.
Prosecutor Wiebke Bethke said DNA found in blood traces inside one victim's vehicle matched those of the genetic profile of the gardener, then aged 40.
A berry collector found the bodies of two couples, naked, in wooded countryside at Göhrde, near Lüneburg in Lower Saxony state in 1989. Extensive police investigations, including interviews of some 5,000 people, couldn't solve the cases at the time.
The murders remained unsolved, despite a horse rider who noted the number plate of a speeding car that turned out to belong to one of the victims.
In August of that year, Birgit M., the wife of an executive, also went missing at Brietlingen-Moorburg, north of Lüneburg — a fifth case that could also be connected to the deceased suspect.
Brother pressed the case privately
The Landeszeitung, as well as regional public broadcaster NDR, attributed the breakthrough in part to Birgit M.'s brother, a former Hamburg investigative police chief, Wolfgang Sielaff.
At the gardener's former home in Adendorf, near Lüneburg, Sielaff got permission from the new owners for excavations.
Skeletal remains were found under a garage on the property and were quickly attributed to Birgit M. via dental forensics.
In October, Sielaff told Die Zeit newspaper that his sister's disappearance in 1989 was treated as a missing persons case until 1993 when a new prosecutor launched a murder probe.
Taken into custody in that year, the gardener hanged himself, which would have ended the investigation against him, had it not been a murder investigation.
In 2016 a new investigative team established that handcuffs found in a locked room at the gardener's former home had tiny drops of blood from Birgit M., raising the prospect that he had abducted her to demand a ransom.
Lüneburg's Landeszeitung said it was planning to publish more information on the police breakthroughs — including leads on a potential living accomplice — in follow-up articles on Thursday and the coming days.
10 reasons to love Lower Saxony
Few towns and lots of countryside — Lower Saxony has so much variety. From the North Sea mudflats to the hills of the Weser Uplands, the northern state is Germany's second-largest in terms of area.
Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance
North Sea
A popular destination at the coast is the Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony, which is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. This tidal area is home to more than 10,000 animal and plant species. One Wadden Sea inhabitant is especially popular with visitors: the seal. To get close to these animals, head to the seal house in the German Wadden Sea National Park.
One of the oldest tourist attractions is Lüneburg Heath. Starting in August, the lilac bloom spectacle attracts some 5 million tourists every year. A shepherd with a flock of docile heathland sheep completes the picture of this pastoral idyll. A nature reserve since 1922, it's not only the oldest, but also — at 23,437 hectares (about 57,914 acres) — the largest wildlife sanctuary in Lower Saxony.
Image: Jochen Tack/picture alliance
Hannover
The famous landmark of the state capital is the New Town Hall. Take the unique lift, the only one in Europe with an arched course, to the observation platform for a great view of the city with its narrow old town alleys, sailing boats on the Maschsee lake and the Sprengel modern art museum. Must-see exhibits there include the colorful giant female sculptures by artist Niki de Saint Phalle.
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Weser cycle path
"I want to ride my bicycle; I want to ride my bike!": The band Queen would have a marvelous time on Lower Saxony's bike routes. The Weser cycle path follows the river some 500 kilometers (300 miles) all the way to the North Sea Weser estuary. The route runs past many old castles, like this one in Polle. Cyclists also repeatedly cross the river, at times using a hand-operated ferry.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Holger Hollemann
Hamelin, home of the pied piper
Anyone visiting the Weser Uplands should definitely go to Hamelin. Many buildings in the old town are built in the Weser renaissance style, a northern German version of the Italian architecture. Yet the town is best known the world over for the folktale of the pied piper of Hamelin describing the disappearance of city's children. The tale has been translated into more than 30 different languages.
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World heritage in Goslar
The Rammelsberg mine in Goslar is one of the world's oldest ore extraction sites. Here at the foot of the Harz Mountains, ore was mined for more than 1,000 years. The power for the mining work was won from a complex system of water ditches and reservoirs, including one of the oldest dams in Europe. The Rammelsberg mine and the old town center of Goslar are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim are also classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hildesheim was first mentioned in official records some 1,200 years ago. According to legend, Emperor Louis the Pious is said to have experienced a divine miracle here, and founded St. Mary's Cathedral on the site as a way of giving thanks.
Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance
Bückeburg Royal Court Riding School
Lower Saxony is horse country. The noble animal has adorned the northern German state's coat of arms since 1946. It's little surprise, then, that this is where you'll find Germany's only princely school of dressage at Bückeburg Castle. The stables in this 17th century building are home to horses of the still existing baroque breeds for dressage.
Image: Holger Hollemann/dpa/picture alliance
Car city Wolfsburg
If you're after a more modern version of horsepower, then head to the VW factory in Wolfsburg, one of Germany's newest towns. It was founded for the VW car factory workers in 1938, and vehicles are still produced here today. A walk through the town also gives you an insight into the history and the future of car manufacturing.
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Roman battles relived
In the year AD 9, Germanic leader Arminius lured Roman forces led by Varus into an ambush resulting in the death of 20,000 Roman soldiers. To this day it's still unknown where exactly this famous battle of the Teutoburg Forest took place. One possible site is Kalkriese village north of Osnabrück. That's reason enough to open an archaeological museum there, where battles are reenacted for visitors.
