March 1922. The month a quiet farm in Germany became home to a nightmare. Something was wrong at the Hinterkaifeck farm. Weeks before anyone found the bodies, weird things began happening around the estate. To start with it was just strange happenings, nothing the family took great interest in. But soon, they began to feel as though they were being watched.
Nowhere to Run
The Hinterkaifeck Farm was isolated and hidden in the Bavarian countryside. It was cut off from the nearby village. The family kept entirely to themselves, and the neighbours happily avoided them.
Andreas Gruber was the head of the house. He was disliked by the local people due to his bad temper. He lived on the farm with his family, including his wife, Cรคzilia, and their widowed daughter, Viktoria. His two young grandchildren also lived with them, seven-year-old Cรคzilia and two-year-old Josef.
The family was very isolated. They relied on their maid for day to day jobs. They had just hired a new maid, Maria. Tragically, her first day working for them would be their last.
Clues From the Shadows
Dread grew and grew in the days leading up to their murder. Adreas Gruber went out to inspect the farm grounds when he found something which made him halt in his tracks. Footprints. Not from anyone in his family. He began following them, only to realise they led straight into one of his farm buildings. There were no tracks leading out again. Whoever made them wasnโt planning on leaving.
Things only got weirder. The family began hearing thuds and scratches from the attic. Adreas searched all the buildings from top to bottom, but he found no trace of anyone. No locks on the doors were picked, every window was locked shut. But, still. The family felt watched, and they couldnโt shake the feeling. There was someone in their walls.
The fear grew too much for their old maid. She quit and left immediately, claiming the farm was full of malevolent spirits.
The Night of the Murders
The killer came out of hiding on 31st March. Somehow they managed to lure the family into the barn, one by one. Andreas, his wife Cรคzilia, their daughter Viktoria, and seven-year-old Cรคzilia all walked out into the shadows. None of them walked back in.
The intruder slaughtered them using a type of pickaxe called a mattock.
The nightmare didnโt end there. After violently killing those four in the barn their attacker made their way to the house. The killer found Maria and slaughtered her in the bedroom. Making their way to the nursery they also took the life of young Josef, who slept in his cot.
Surely thatโs the end of the story? Iโm afraid itโs only the beginning.
The Chilling Aftermath
The bizarre nightmare continued in the following week. Days passed before the neighbours discovered the grisly scene. But, the farm wasnโt left empty. Smoke rose from the kitchen. Someone was cooking. The animals were well fed and were given water.
There were even lights moving around the house at night.
Whoever had brutally murdered the family continued living on the farm. Alongside their bodies. They slept in their beds and ate their food.
A Year of Silence
The neighbours began growing concerned when the family didnโt show up for church, which was unusual for them. A group of people from the village went to the house on 4th April when they realised Cรคzilia had missed school. They uncovered the grim truth. The police scrambled to find the killer. The large investigation launched led to over 100 suspects being questioned. These included travelling salesmen passing through the town and a former lover of Viktoria.
All leads were a dead end. The killer had left no trace of their identity. The doctor could only guess what murder weapon had been used by examining their horrific head wounds.
A year later the farm houses were destroyed. People still believed it was full of evil spirits. As workers tore the barn apart. But were stopped by a sickening discovery. Hidden under the floorboards was a blood-stained mattock tool. The killer had used their own pickaxe against them before hiding it away.
The farm took the rest of its dark secrets to the grave, leaving this case as one of the world’s greatest mysteries. Is there a killer in your attic?
Jade C. Miller is an avid reader and writer of crime fiction. When not analysing mysteries or crafting, you can usually find her hunting for vintage paperbacks in local bookshops.
