case of 1983
Cold case on “Aktenzeichen XY”: Who killed Gabriele Schmidt?
Gabriele Schmidt was murdered in the summer of 1983. A call for witnesses in the ZDF program “Aktenzeichen XY” is intended to help clarify the cold case.
© Police East Hesse
In the summer of 1983, five-year-old Gabriele Schmidt from Fulda in Hesse disappeared while playing. Her body is later discovered in an underground part of a water canal. Almost 39 years later, “Aktenzeichen XY… unsolved” resumes the search for the perpetrator.
When little Gabriele Schmidt from Fulda in Hesse lost her life, she was just five years old. On the afternoon of June 3, 1983, a warm summer day, the mother picks up the little girl from daycare. She is allowed to play outside until dinner is ready. The property borders on the Galgengraben water canal.
When the mother finally called around 6 p.m. to eat, the girl had disappeared. The parents, whose marriage has broken down, desperately search the area and finally report them missing to the police around 7 p.m.
Autopsy reveals: Gabriele Schmidt was sexually abused
A large-scale search follows with the fire brigade, police and federal border guards. Neighbors and friends also participate. In the garden area of the property, a police officer finally discovers some clothing and toys. Hours later, a firefighter found her body several meters deep in a more than 20 meter long underground pipe with a diameter of around one meter.
Gabriele Schmidt was considered calm and trusting
© Police East Hesse
The child is only dressed in a shirt. A subsequent autopsy reveals that the five-year-old was sexually abused and literally beaten to death.
Case on Wednesday at “Aktenzeichen XY unsolved”
Even almost 39 years later, the police have no trace of the perpetrator. But since murder does not become statute-barred, the complete “cold case” will be reopened by the Fulda public prosecutor and the East Hesse police and broadcast on Wednesday from 8:15 p.m. on the ZDF program “Aktenzeichen XY unsolved” with Rudi Cerne.
The Kripo Fulda assumes that someone knows something. Perhaps witnesses who were close to the perpetrator and who can still bring themselves to testify. The murderer must have attracted attention because of his wet clothes, and he might even have blood on his clothes. According to investigators, he was slim but strong and had a good knowledge of the area. Otherwise he wouldn’t have known about the hidden sewage system behind the property, for example.
€5,000 reward offered
The public prosecutor’s office is offering a reward of 5,000 euros for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the perpetrator or perpetrators.
Information can be set up under the telephone number 0661/105-4447 or on the Internet under the e-mail address rki-fulda.ppoh@polizei.hessen.de. In justified exceptional cases, these can also be treated confidentially.
Watch the video: Jens Rabe is a criminal lawyer and gave detailed information about his profession in the STERN CRIME Masterclass. In part three of the recording, he explains the difference between murder and manslaughter and explains what diminished criminal responsibility is all about.
Sources: Police East Hesse, Hessischer Rundfunk