August 15, 2025 • 10 mins
On a snowy night in 1922, an isolated Bavarian farmstead became the scene of one of Germany’s most chilling unsolved mass murders. The Gruber family, along with their maid, was found brutally slaughtered — their bodies stacked in the barn under layers of straw. But what makes this case even more haunting are the whispers of strange footprints in the snow, ghostly voices in the attic, and chilling signs that the killer may have stayed in the home after the murders.
In this episode of Rogue Darkness, we dive into the eerie mystery of the Hinterkaifeck Murders — a case drenched in superstition, tragedy, and silence. Was it a disgruntled relative? A drifter? Or something far more sinister? Join me as we explore the evidence, the oddities, and the theories that still haunt true crime investigators to this day.
🔪 Listener discretion is advised.
—
📚Sources:
•“The Hinterkaifeck Murders” – HistoricMysteries.com
•“Unsolved Mysteries: The Hinterkaifeck Murders” – AllThat’sInteresting.com
•“Germany’s Chilling Unsolved Farm Murders” – Der Spiegel Archives
•“The Case of Hinterkaifeck” – Reddit r/UnresolvedMysteries
•Hinterkaifeck.net (English Archive)
🎵Background music used:
“Out of Sight” by Marc van der Meulen: https://youtu.be/RhKavk6MttU?s...
🎧 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Goodpods, and all major platforms.
In this episode of Rogue Darkness, we dive into the eerie mystery of the Hinterkaifeck Murders — a case drenched in superstition, tragedy, and silence. Was it a disgruntled relative? A drifter? Or something far more sinister? Join me as we explore the evidence, the oddities, and the theories that still haunt true crime investigators to this day.
🔪 Listener discretion is advised.
—
📚Sources:
•“The Hinterkaifeck Murders” – HistoricMysteries.com
•“Unsolved Mysteries: The Hinterkaifeck Murders” – AllThat’sInteresting.com
•“Germany’s Chilling Unsolved Farm Murders” – Der Spiegel Archives
•“The Case of Hinterkaifeck” – Reddit r/UnresolvedMysteries
•Hinterkaifeck.net (English Archive)
🎵Background music used:
“Out of Sight” by Marc van der Meulen: https://youtu.be/RhKavk6MttU?s...
🎧 Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Goodpods, and all major platforms.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Dark Cast Network. Welcome to the dark side of podcasts. Leader,
they would decliffe animals dark world of ritualistic chodobies. Is
there a well organized plot, an insidious design to program
(00:23):
the minds of our children towards the occult and witchcraft?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Does it make you want to hate murder?
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Or does it make you want to do murder? Let's
explore the darkness of mankind one crime at a Time.
Welcome back to Rogue Darkness, the podcast that uncovers how
the misinterpretations and misinformation surrounding witchcraft, the occult, and other
beliefs have led many to do unthinkable crimes. From ritualistic
(00:49):
killings and the demons that live in all of us,
to exploration of the macabre and delving deep into the unknown,
Let's explore the darkness of mankind, one crime at a time.
I'm your host of the grim and Gruesome Raven.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Sometimes the most horrifying crimes don't happen in the chaos
of cities or populated areas. They can happen in the
stillness of snow, in a forgotten corner of the world
where no one is watching. A remote Bavarian farmhouse, a
family of six slaughtered, no witnesses, no escape, and perhaps
(01:36):
most chilling of all, the killer never left. He stayed,
He fed the family's animals, slept in their beds, and
then he vanished into silence. This is the haunting mystery
of the hinter Kaifek murders. In nineteen twenty two, hidden
(01:58):
deep in the German country side, about seventy kilometers north
of Munich, stood a secluded farmstead known as hinter Kaifek,
not an official name, but one locals used. It was isolated,
surrounded by dense woods, the kind of place where secrets
grow like mold in the silence. A family living there
consisted of Andreas Gruber age sixty three, said to be
(02:22):
a harsh and violent man, feared and disliked by the community,
Kazilia Gruber age seventy two, Andreas's quiet and deeply religious wife,
Victoria Gabriel age thirty five, their widowed daughter, known for
her church singing voice and tragic past, Little Kazilia age seven,
(02:46):
Victoria's intelligent young daughter, Joseph age two, Victoria's son whose
paternity was the source of village gossip. And finally, Maria
Baumgartner age forty four, a maid hired just that very day.
Despite what the outside world saw of them, behind closed doors,
(03:06):
something darker simmered. In nineteen fifteen, Andreas and Victoria were
both convicted of incest, Andrea served a year in prison.
Victoria received probation. Many in the village believed that Joseph,
her youngest child, wasn't the result of any love affair,
(03:26):
but of that disturbing relationship, a son, a brother, a
living sin. This wasn't just a family living in isolation.
It was a house already haunted by shame. In the
final days of March, eerie things began to unfold at
the farm. Andreas mentioned to neighbors that he discovered footprints
(03:49):
in the snow leading from the edge of the woods
to the house, but not back out again. He heard
footsteps in the attic, a newspaper appeared on the kitchen
table that no one in the home had purchased, and
then the keys went missing. The previous maid had quit
six months earlier, saying the house was haunted, she heard voices,
(04:10):
things moved on their own. She refused to return. Maria Baumgartner,
the replacement, arrived on March thirty first, nineteen twenty two.
That very night the blood letting began. Days had passed
and the family wasn't seen as usual. Little Kazilia had
missed school, Victoria had missed church choir. The male had
(04:34):
begun to pile up. On April fourth, concerned neighbors went
to the farm. What they found defied belief. In the barn,
buried beneath hay were four bodies. Andreas, Cezilia, senior Victoria,
and young Kazilia. All were lured into the barn one
(04:56):
by one and bludgeoned to death with a mattock, a
farming to similar to a pickaxe. Inside the house, Maria
lay murdered in her bed. Joseph was found in his crib,
his skull completely crushed. And the most disturbing detail, Little
Kazilia had initially survived. Her autopsy showed that she hadn't
(05:18):
died instantly. She lay beside the bodies of her family
or hours. She tore out tufts of her own hair
in terror and agony before succumbing to her wounds. This
wasn't just a mass murder, It was a slow, intimate
unraveling of an entire household. What happened next transformed the
(05:39):
horror into something unthinkable. The killer stayed. The cows were fed,
the chimney smoked. Someone ate meals from the family kitchen.
The dog was tied up and cared for. Blankets were moved,
beds disturbed. The killer lived in the home for several
(06:01):
days with the corpses. When investigators searched the attic, they
discovered the murder weapon stashed away under floorboards. Andreas had
been hearing footsteps up there for days before his death,
the implication the killer may have been hiding in the attic, watching, waiting, listening.
(06:24):
Over one hundred people were interviewed, but no one was
ever charged. The most suspicious figure was Laurence Schlittenbauer, Victoria's
former lover. He had previously claimed he was Joseph's father,
then tried to deny it in court. Lorenz was part
of the group who discovered the bodies, but witnesses noted
(06:45):
his behavior was strange. He unlocked doors, no one gave
him keys for he moved bodies around the barn without hesitation.
He showed no emotion. Many believed Lawrence was the killer,
maybe out of jealousy or rage or inheritance motives. Other
suspects emerged like the Gump brothers known criminals. One allegedly
(07:09):
confessed on his death bed, but the claim was never verified.
Some pointed to vagrants or soldiers displaced after the war,
and others believed something else, something ancient, something vengeful. Bavarian
folklore spoke of the Walldgeister woodland spirits who punished sinners,
(07:31):
the incest, the whispers, the vanished keys, the disembodied footsteps,
the voices that drove the maid to flee. Many villagers
believed hinter Kaifek had been cursed, that the family's blood
was the price for silence, that something had moved in
with them and refused to leave. The hinter Kaifek farm
(07:54):
was torn down. A small shrine stands in its place.
In two thousand and seven, a group of police cadets
reopened the case, using modern forensic techniques and psychological profiling.
They claimed they had identified a prime suspect, but the
name was never released out of respect for the living descendants,
(08:19):
and so the case remains unsolved. Was it revenge, madness,
a lover's fury, or something far darker buried beneath the snow.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to Rogue
Darkness on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us
continue to bring you more stories of true crime and
the paranormal. Definitely let me know your thoughts on this
case and if you have any questions regarding it or
any other cases I've previously covered, you can always contact
me at Rogue darknesspod at gmail dot com. You can
(09:03):
also always reach out to me directly on my socials. Instagram, Twitter, TikTok,
and YouTube are all at Rogue Underscore Darkness. As always,
be sure to share the podcast with anyone who you
think would like it, and be sure to leave a
rating review over on Apple, iTunes, Spotify, good Pods, or
anywhere else you can leave a review to let other
listeners know you enjoy the show, and if you want
(09:26):
some personalized shout outs and other exclusives, definitely check out
my Patreon by visiting patreon dot com slash Rogue Darkness.
You can also check out my Bonfire shop if you
want to get your hands on some merch to support
the show even further. As always, all the links for
everything discussed in my episodes are down in the description
box of the episode. And with that said, that concludes
(09:48):
this week's episode of Rogue Darkness. The darkness is all
around us, and I can confidently say that reality truly
is more terrifying than fiction. Until next time,
Dark Cast Network. Welcome to the dark side of podcasts. Leader,
they would decliffe animals dark world of ritualistic chodobies. Is
there a well organized plot, an insidious design to program
(00:23):
the minds of our children towards the occult and witchcraft?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Does it make you want to hate murder?
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Or does it make you want to do murder? Let's
explore the darkness of mankind one crime at a Time.
Welcome back to Rogue Darkness, the podcast that uncovers how
the misinterpretations and misinformation surrounding witchcraft, the occult, and other
beliefs have led many to do unthinkable crimes. From ritualistic
(00:49):
killings and the demons that live in all of us,
to exploration of the macabre and delving deep into the unknown,
Let's explore the darkness of mankind, one crime at a time.
I'm your host of the grim and Gruesome Raven.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Sometimes the most horrifying crimes don't happen in the chaos
of cities or populated areas. They can happen in the
stillness of snow, in a forgotten corner of the world
where no one is watching. A remote Bavarian farmhouse, a
family of six slaughtered, no witnesses, no escape, and perhaps
(01:36):
most chilling of all, the killer never left. He stayed,
He fed the family's animals, slept in their beds, and
then he vanished into silence. This is the haunting mystery
of the hinter Kaifek murders. In nineteen twenty two, hidden
(01:58):
deep in the German country side, about seventy kilometers north
of Munich, stood a secluded farmstead known as hinter Kaifek,
not an official name, but one locals used. It was isolated,
surrounded by dense woods, the kind of place where secrets
grow like mold in the silence. A family living there
consisted of Andreas Gruber age sixty three, said to be
(02:22):
a harsh and violent man, feared and disliked by the community,
Kazilia Gruber age seventy two, Andreas's quiet and deeply religious wife,
Victoria Gabriel age thirty five, their widowed daughter, known for
her church singing voice and tragic past, Little Kazilia age seven,
(02:46):
Victoria's intelligent young daughter, Joseph age two, Victoria's son whose
paternity was the source of village gossip. And finally, Maria
Baumgartner age forty four, a maid hired just that very day.
Despite what the outside world saw of them, behind closed doors,
(03:06):
something darker simmered. In nineteen fifteen, Andreas and Victoria were
both convicted of incest, Andrea served a year in prison.
Victoria received probation. Many in the village believed that Joseph,
her youngest child, wasn't the result of any love affair,
(03:26):
but of that disturbing relationship, a son, a brother, a
living sin. This wasn't just a family living in isolation.
It was a house already haunted by shame. In the
final days of March, eerie things began to unfold at
the farm. Andreas mentioned to neighbors that he discovered footprints
(03:49):
in the snow leading from the edge of the woods
to the house, but not back out again. He heard
footsteps in the attic, a newspaper appeared on the kitchen
table that no one in the home had purchased, and
then the keys went missing. The previous maid had quit
six months earlier, saying the house was haunted, she heard voices,
(04:10):
things moved on their own. She refused to return. Maria Baumgartner,
the replacement, arrived on March thirty first, nineteen twenty two.
That very night the blood letting began. Days had passed
and the family wasn't seen as usual. Little Kazilia had
missed school, Victoria had missed church choir. The male had
(04:34):
begun to pile up. On April fourth, concerned neighbors went
to the farm. What they found defied belief. In the barn,
buried beneath hay were four bodies. Andreas, Cezilia, senior Victoria,
and young Kazilia. All were lured into the barn one
(04:56):
by one and bludgeoned to death with a mattock, a
farming to similar to a pickaxe. Inside the house, Maria
lay murdered in her bed. Joseph was found in his crib,
his skull completely crushed. And the most disturbing detail, Little
Kazilia had initially survived. Her autopsy showed that she hadn't
(05:18):
died instantly. She lay beside the bodies of her family
or hours. She tore out tufts of her own hair
in terror and agony before succumbing to her wounds. This
wasn't just a mass murder, It was a slow, intimate
unraveling of an entire household. What happened next transformed the
(05:39):
horror into something unthinkable. The killer stayed. The cows were fed,
the chimney smoked. Someone ate meals from the family kitchen.
The dog was tied up and cared for. Blankets were moved,
beds disturbed. The killer lived in the home for several
(06:01):
days with the corpses. When investigators searched the attic, they
discovered the murder weapon stashed away under floorboards. Andreas had
been hearing footsteps up there for days before his death,
the implication the killer may have been hiding in the attic, watching, waiting, listening.
(06:24):
Over one hundred people were interviewed, but no one was
ever charged. The most suspicious figure was Laurence Schlittenbauer, Victoria's
former lover. He had previously claimed he was Joseph's father,
then tried to deny it in court. Lorenz was part
of the group who discovered the bodies, but witnesses noted
(06:45):
his behavior was strange. He unlocked doors, no one gave
him keys for he moved bodies around the barn without hesitation.
He showed no emotion. Many believed Lawrence was the killer,
maybe out of jealousy or rage or inheritance motives. Other
suspects emerged like the Gump brothers known criminals. One allegedly
(07:09):
confessed on his death bed, but the claim was never verified.
Some pointed to vagrants or soldiers displaced after the war,
and others believed something else, something ancient, something vengeful. Bavarian
folklore spoke of the Walldgeister woodland spirits who punished sinners,
(07:31):
the incest, the whispers, the vanished keys, the disembodied footsteps,
the voices that drove the maid to flee. Many villagers
believed hinter Kaifek had been cursed, that the family's blood
was the price for silence, that something had moved in
with them and refused to leave. The hinter Kaifek farm
(07:54):
was torn down. A small shrine stands in its place.
In two thousand and seven, a group of police cadets
reopened the case, using modern forensic techniques and psychological profiling.
They claimed they had identified a prime suspect, but the
name was never released out of respect for the living descendants,
(08:19):
and so the case remains unsolved. Was it revenge, madness,
a lover's fury, or something far darker buried beneath the snow.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to Rogue
Darkness on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us
continue to bring you more stories of true crime and
the paranormal. Definitely let me know your thoughts on this
case and if you have any questions regarding it or
any other cases I've previously covered, you can always contact
me at Rogue darknesspod at gmail dot com. You can
(09:03):
also always reach out to me directly on my socials. Instagram, Twitter, TikTok,
and YouTube are all at Rogue Underscore Darkness. As always,
be sure to share the podcast with anyone who you
think would like it, and be sure to leave a
rating review over on Apple, iTunes, Spotify, good Pods, or
anywhere else you can leave a review to let other
listeners know you enjoy the show, and if you want
(09:26):
some personalized shout outs and other exclusives, definitely check out
my Patreon by visiting patreon dot com slash Rogue Darkness.
You can also check out my Bonfire shop if you
want to get your hands on some merch to support
the show even further. As always, all the links for
everything discussed in my episodes are down in the description
box of the episode. And with that said, that concludes
(09:48):
this week's episode of Rogue Darkness. The darkness is all
around us, and I can confidently say that reality truly
is more terrifying than fiction. Until next time,
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com