BUDAPEST — 1916 · Serial Murder

The Cinkota Barrels Case

UnsolvedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

In July 1916, in the village of Cinkota near Budapest, a landlord found large metal drums at the house of a tenant who had gone to fight in the First World War, and alerted police. The drums held women's bodies; searches of the house found the remains of 24 women in all. The victims were believed to be lonely women met through marriage advertisements and relieved of their money. The owner, a tinsmith, was at the front and was never caught; later reported sightings in various countries were never confirmed. With no trial ever held, many details remain uncertain.

Date: 1916
Place: Cinkota, Hungary, Budapest, HU
Category: Serial Murder
Case Status: Unsolved
Coordinates: 47.5200, 19.2300 ↗

Timeline of Events

1900sWomen began disappearing from the Cinkota house.
July 1916The landlord found the metal drums.

1916Remains of 24 women were found.
October 1916The suspect vanished from the front.

Sources

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