GÖHRDE — 1989 · Unsolved Case
The Göhrde Forest Murders
In the summer of 1989 two couples were found dead within weeks of each other in the Göhrde state forest in Lower Saxony. A middle-aged couple from Hamburg-Bergedorf had disappeared after going for a walk in the forest in May; their bodies were found by blueberry pickers on 12 July 1989, and shortly afterwards a second couple was found dead in another part of the forest. Police concluded that both crimes were the work of the same offender. The case stayed unsolved for years; in December 2017 police named as prime suspect a man who had died by suicide in custody in 1993 and was also linked to another disappearance. Because he died untried, the case remains legally unsolved; the special unit was dissolved in 2021.
- Date
- 1989
- Place
- Lower Saxony, Germany, Göhrde, DE
- Category
- Unsolved Case
- Case Status
- Unsolved
- Coordinates
- 53.1300, 10.8300 ↗
Timeline of Events
- May 1989A couple from Hamburg-Bergedorf disappeared in the Göhrde forest.
- 12 July 1989Their bodies were found by blueberry pickers.
- July 1989A second couple was found dead in another part of the forest.
- December 2017Police named a man who died in 1993 as the prime suspect.
- February 2021The special investigation unit was dissolved.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Göhrde murders en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Wikipedia — Göhrde-Morde de.wikipedia.org ↗
- Wikipedia
- Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.