In Montabaur, a 37-year-old first killed his father, his partner and their son and then himself. The investigators still have many questions to answer.
Access to the house on the small street in Montabaur is still blocked off with red and white tape. Gloves worn by crime scene officers lie on the lawn in the front yard. Every now and then a police car drives by. There are a few red candles in front of the door of the house. Otherwise it’s quiet.
But the police and public prosecutor’s office continue to investigate. The main thing is to clarify the background to the crime. The public prosecutor’s office announced that “the investigation into the exact course of the terrible event, the possible motive for the crime and the exact background to the crime” is still in full swing.
The public prosecutor’s office interviews witnesses and orders an autopsy of the bodies
According to the public prosecutor’s office, witnesses who belong to the private and family environment of the deceased have already been questioned. In addition, the bodies of the three victims and the 37-year-old are to be autopsied. The result could be available in the course of the coming week, according to a statement.
It also needs to be clarified how the deceased perpetrator got his hands on the firearms. And whether there were concrete indications of the crime beforehand.
Suspected perpetrator shot himself in the head
The 37-year-old suspected perpetrator was pronounced dead on Friday after being taken to hospital with serious injuries after being shot in the head on Thursday. Until then, the authorities had conducted an investigation against the man, who was initially brain dead – because of strong suspicion of manslaughter in three cases.
According to the public prosecutor’s office, the 37-year-old is said to have killed his 68-year-old father, his 39-year-old wife and their three-year-old son in Montabaur early on Thursday morning. Later, after several hours of negotiations with police specialists, he shot himself in the head.
According to the information, the background to the crime was family disputes. The perpetrator and the victim lived in the same house. Further details have not yet been provided.
The background to the crime should be clarified
Senior public prosecutor Mario Mannweiler said in writing that there is currently no evidence that other people were involved in the crime.
According to current findings, the accused called his partner shortly after the crime and told her that he had killed three people. The woman then alerted the police.
Large areas of residential and commercial areas were cordoned off
When the police arrived at the house, the armed man initially barricaded himself at the crime scene. The emergency services then cordoned off the entire residential and commercial area in order to exclude any danger to bystanders. Residents, passers-by and employees of the local businesses had to leave their houses and apartments. In addition to residential buildings and a hotel, the area in Montabaur also houses the headquarters of the telecommunications provider 1&1.
A family was wiped out. Suddenly the unthinkable happens in the neighborhood.
Gabi Wieland (CDU), mayor of the city of Montabaur
The mayor of Montabaur, Gabi Wieland (CDU), and the mayor of the Montabaur municipality, Ulrich Richter-Hopprich (CDU), are affected by the events in the city. “A family was wiped out. Suddenly the unthinkable happens in the neighborhood. We think of the people who were close to the family,” the two told SWR.
A contact point was set up in a supermarket in Montabaur for residents and students where they could stay during the police operation.
Wieland and Richter-Hopprich also thank the police and all emergency services who were on site on Thursday. According to information from the city of Montabaur, the daycare center where the three-year-old went will remain closed on Friday. It is currently unclear whether there will be a memorial service for the deceased next week.
Broadcast on Friday, January 26th, 2024 12:00 p.m., currently at 12, SWR1 Rhineland-Palatinate
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