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On June 6, 1976 a 28 year old daughter finds her parents and aunt along with her two sons murdered at her father's remote weekend cabin in the Swiss countryside. All five victims showing at least one bullet hole in the forehead, hence were shot at point blank range. Apparently none tried to escape or intervene. Thirteen shell casings were found at the scene of the crime and the murdered couple's car, that the murderer/s used to escape, was located the same day 30 km away. The couple's son (20) became the prime suspect. Yet neither a motive nor the murder weapon could be found.
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- Rudolph Isler
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Uncover Switzerland’s most enigmatic murder cases with our riveting investigative true crime podcast.
In the serene morning hours of June 6, 1976, Edith Siegrist, a 28 year old resident of Basel in Switzerland, found herself making a third attempt within the hour to reach her parents by phone. But no one replied. The unanswered calls increased her growing concern, especially since plans for a family outing had been joyfully discussed just the day before. The absence of her parents, known for their unwavering reliability, became increasingly conspicuous. Fueled by worries, Edith embarked on the short walk to her parents' home.
Narrator:Upon reaching their house, her worries deepend as her father's car, a green Opel Asona, usually parked in front of the house, was no-where to be seen. She hurried through the front yard towards the entrance, then ringing the doorbell repeatedly. She listened anxiously the sound was resonating through the empty house. Again, no answer. Her parents were inexplicably missing.
Narrator:Aware that they had spent the prior day at their weekend cabin in the countryside, a mere 30 kilometers to the south, Edith called upon a friend who owned the car, and the 2 decided to drive to the cabin, hoping for some quick resolution to the unsettling mystery. But what continuously troubled Edith during the journey was the fact that the small wooden cabin lacked beds or mattresses, making it rather unsuitable for an overnight stay. Her parents had never before spent the night there, or even entertained the thought of doing so. The picturesque summer day aftermath of days with heavy rain, finally gave way to the warmth of sunshine filtering through the foliage, casting enchanting dark blue shadows on the green meadows at the forest's edge as they approach their destination 45 minutes later. Opting to park the car along the country road, they covered the remaining distance, approximately 80 meters on foot.
Narrator:To the left, the towering trees lining the forest and to the right spawning the green meadow, were multitude of cherry trees with ripe fruit scattered upon the ground beneath them. As the cabin emerged in the distance, Edith couldn't help but notice the conspicuous absence of her parents' car once again. Moving closer, everything appeared outwardly normal, except for the wide open shutters of the window above the veranda. All other windows and doors appeared to be shut. Drawing closer, the 2 observed dark red traces on the ground, but assumed they were remnants of cherries.
Narrator:However, a few steps further, in a short distance from the cabin, the unsettling discovery of 2 empty cartridge cases beside a larger, crimson pool dispelled any lingering doubt. What appeared to be cherries was blood. A chilling realization gripped Eddie and her friend, abruptly transforming the vibrant, innocent summer day into an eerie silence. Wordlessly, they retraced their steps, sprinted back to the car, fired up the engine, and raced towards the village of Tornach to alert the police. The once promised day of family joy had unraveled into an unfolding mystery that would etch itself into their minds and the annals of an entire nation.
Narrator:This is 'Out in the Green', episode 1 of the Seewen Murder Mystery, an investigative true crime podcast by Playground Media Productions. Produced, written, and hosted by Rudolph Isler. All interviews were recorded in German and voice overs were done by people that are not related to the case. The presumption of innocence applies. Prompted by the distressed call from the daughter and her partner, 2 vigilant policemen hastened to the scene.
Narrator:With caution, they approached the cabin from the rear, wisely concealing their car within the forest shadows. Navigating a small footpath through the woods, they moved with the stealth of seasoned investigators. As the cabin came into view, they positioned themselves behind some trees. Binoculars in hand, they scanned the surroundings for any hint of movement. The possibility lingered that someone, sinister or otherwise, might still inhabit the secluded space.
Narrator:Yet the only movement they observed was the Swiss flag fluttering in a slight breeze on a slanted pole above the cabin's door. The where the daughter and her friend had left their car an hour earlier. Because of the muddy terrain, they too left the car by the roadside and ventured the remaining distance along the forest's edge on foot, treading on wet grass. The confirmation of the grim reality awaited them. Red stains and discarded cartridge cases painted a chilling image.
Narrator:On the veranda, a seemingly conspicuous looking bundle positioned under the roof, resembling a rolled up carpet, caught their attention. Approaching cautiously, they took the steps to reach the veranda where they hesitantly began to remove the carpet. What unfolded before them surpassed the boundaries of their professional experience. They discovered the lifeless body of Elsa Sigrist, 62, lying on her stomach, feet pointing towards the veranda entrance, her head and shoulders drenched in blood, her left arm trapped beneath her lifeless body. Intriguingly, the wooden floor displayed almost no bloodstains nor did the steps leading to it.
Narrator:The carpet that covered her had soaked up most of the blood. This suggested that Elsa was likely shot where she lay. In response to this harrowing discovery, the 2 officers urgently called for reinforcements. While waiting for support, they cast cautious glances through the window revealing what appeared to be 2 more lifeless bodies on the cabin floor. Then their attention was drawn to 2 unfolded cartons placed suspiciously on the stone tiles that led from the veranda to the front door.
Narrator:Someone encouraged, they lifted the cartons away, revealing a distressing scene. A substantial pool of blood and a trail leading to the cabin's entrance. Holding their breath, one of the officers gingerly pushed down the door handle. It being locked, they had to break the door. When it finally opened, so did the mouth of the 2 policemen.
Narrator:2 dead bodies, one partly covering the other, lay right in front of them. Both heads resting near the door, the feet almost touching the back wall. The body to the left was that of Anna Westhäuser, 80. It showed a single dark bullet hole in the forehead. Next to her, partly covered by a blanket and a woman's body, that of her brother, Eugene Zegrist, 63, the owner of the cabin and husband of the woman found dead on the veranda.
Narrator:This is more or less the official version based on police reports under coverage by the media. However, during my research, I came across a statement as part of a documentary by Swiss Television given by a neighbor that also claimed to be present. He recalled a slightly different scenario.
Constable Jaeggi:I went to the crime scene with the policeman, and there was a body on the wooden terrace covered by a green carpet. I then returned to my car to fetch a tool because the policeman didn't have anything with them. We then smashed a window and discovered 3 more bodies. I never saw the 5th body in the tool shed though. I left the scene as there was nothing more I could do.
Narrator:His statement in recollection of the events cannot possibly be correct for two reasons. Firstly, because of the smashed window. As we can see on the police photographs, only one window was not covered by the wooden shutters. The one directly above the veranda. Not one of the photos taken immediately after their arrival shows that this or any other window was broken.
Narrator:Secondly, inside the main room of the cabin were only 2 dead bodies and not 3, as he stated. Thus, it appears much more likely that the tool he got from his car was used to force open the main cabin door and not to smash the window. I included this statement not because it is crucial evidence, but because I think it is a good example to illustrate how after years or decades, statements by witnesses based on memories are frequently not reliable anymore. But let's return to the facts of the day. A short while later, a police van arrived and officers rushed out, grabbing equipment from the trunk.
Narrator:One of them was Constable Max Jaeggi. Setting up a folding table and chairs, Then he fetched a bundle of paper and his portable Hermes typewriter. Constable Max Yecke, then 40 years of age, remembers every detail of the day.
Constable Jaeggi:It was pretty much at lunchtime when the whole thing really got going. I had just sat down for Sunday lunch when the phone rang and someone informed me about what had happened. When I arrived together with the head of CID and the chief of police, the 2 officers who had been alerted by the daughter had secured the crime scene and cordoned off a large area around the cabin. The first thing I did was to set up a field office, installing a typewriter to record what the officers reported to me 1 by 1. That was standard practice at the time and my job.
Constable Jaeggi:I was only a clerk and never a senior officer. The chief of police, Huggenberger, and the head of the criminal investigation department, lieutenant Ruettimann, were in charge. These 2 had overall responsibility. Unfortunately, both have since passed.
Narrator:So finally, the police also opened the door to the storage room and found 2 more bodies. Again, both laying next to each other on their backs, their heads near the doorstep as the room was almost too short to accommodate the full length. Both showed bullet holes in their heads and their bodies. The victims, as it was later established, were the 2 sons of Anna Westhauser, who lay murdered in the other room. Emmanuel Westhäuser, 52, and Max Westhäuser, 49.
Constable Jaeggi:Other officers gradually joined us in the afternoon, in particular, people from the forensic and scientific departments. Then neighbors were questioned, especially whether they had heard or noticed anything, but nobody had anything to contribute. It was also a very special set of circumstances. The murders happened at a time when the cherry trees were full of ripe fruit. Therefore, many of the farmers had installed alarm guns that fired shots at irregular intervals to scare the birds away.
Constable Jaeggi:To make things even more difficult, there was a shooting range nearby, so the residents were quite used to hearing all kinds of shooting noises.
Narrator:After the police had completed the inspection of the cabin and the surrounding area, it was established that a total of 5 people had been murdered. According to the condition of the body's and the daughter's testimony, who reported having talked to her parents on Friday, the crime must have taken place within the last 24 hours. That is to say, most likely on Saturday, June 5th, 1976. Judging by the injuries, they had all been hit in the head by at least 1 bullet from a large caliper weapon. A total of 13 empty bullet casings were found on the ground directly in front or near the cabin.
Narrator:Furthermore, according to the traces of blood, the drama must have taken place within only a few square meters. All victims were shot at close range, and it seemed obvious and yet puzzling that none of the victims had tried to escape or that there had been a scuffle beforehand. Due to the obvious complexity of the situation, the Solothorn Cantonal police, responsible for the case, decided to call in the scientific support of the Zurich Criminal Investigation Department and the Berne Forensic Institute to secure evidence. The father's missing car, the Opelous Kona in striking green with a black roof, was immediately put out for national and international searches and was recovered with its doors locked on the same day about 15 kilometers to the north in the so called Devil's Stitch on a thoroughfare along the riverbeers not far from Munchenstein, a suburb of Basel. The police managed to reconstruct the perpetrator's escape route.
Narrator:Through examination of the tire profile, matched with the traces discovered on a narrow forest path near the cabin, they deducted that the car had become entrenched in the mud on a short steep section within the forest. To overcome the predicament, the perpetrator or perpetrators had ingeniously utilized 2 woolen blankets found in the car, placing them under the rear drive wheels. The blankets, effective in facilitating the escape, were then left behind. Halting the car to collect them would have been unwise, as it would have exposed him or them to the possibility of encountering the same issue when attempting to restart. And while the police made the first detailed assessment at the crime scene, questioning neighbors and weekenders and basically everybody that could move, they had no difficulty coming up with a suspect, the murdered couple's son.
Narrator:Robert Siegrist was having a late lunch with his girlfriend at her parents' home in Holstein, a village about 16 kilometers to the west of the crime scene. They had been out the previous evening, returning home late and slept in, just as most youngsters do on a Sunday. The apartment was on the ground floor, but they did not hear the police car approach or the 2 men getting out of it. One sneaking through the bushes nightmare. But more on that in the next episode.
Narrator:As the police departed the crime scene that fateful Sunday evening, darkness had already descended. Despite the somber atmosphere, a sense of confidence pervaded the investigators. Fueled by the discovery of the shell casings, the recovered car, and the arrest of the couple's son, Robert. This assurance led them to believe that the resolution of this horrifying murder was imminent in only a matter of time. The subsequent days saw the establishment of a makeshift headquarters at the local village inn called The Sun.
Narrator:Approximately 20 investigators diligently convened there each day at 8 a. M, receiving briefings and updates on the latest developments. Although numerous observations poured in, the leads proved to be elusive. Some residents reported having heard gunshots, But with a shooting range nearby and the alarm system to keep the birds clear of the cherry trees, the sounds of a gun went unnoticed. The village, particularly the restaurant, the sun became the focal point for investigative activities.
Narrator:And event was But little did anyone suspect that the impact of this enigmatic crime should endure not only for days, weeks, or months, but for decades. Even today, especially around Pentecost, true crime enthusiasts and curious tourists still gather at the exact location where the crime occurred 50 years ago. The discovered cartridges stood out as the single most crucial lead of the time. Unmistakably identified as caliber 38 special. This particular caliber, versatile in its compatibility, spans a broad spectrum of weaponry, from revolver handguns to rifles.
Narrator:Given the proximity of the shots at the victims, the prevailing assumption, not surprisingly, leaned towards the use of a revolver. Yet 3 days after the murder, when the forensic laboratory's findings arrived, Mr. Hartl, the appointed specialist contended otherwise. He staunchly insisted that the cartridges did not originate from a revolver, but rather from a lever action rifle. His conviction stemmed from a microscopic a detail absent in revolver fired cartridges.
Narrator:His unwavering stance eventually swayed the investigators, the investigators, leading to the identification of the murder weapon as a lever action rifle. More precisely as being either an original Winchester or a replica. For example, an Italian made Uberti. This company started to produce Winchester replicas following a visit and request by well known Italian filmmaker, Sergio Leone, who was famous for directing Western movies that to this day are regarded as the pinnacle of its genre. Movies like Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, or for a Few Dollars More.
Narrator:Leone always insisted on having authentic weapons in all of his movies, and Uberti was more than happy to manufacture and supply them. The revelation, it being a Winchester, stirred the excitement among the investigative team, precipitating immediate outreach to arms dealers and collectors across Switzerland. All firearms meeting the stipulated criteria were promptly seized and dispatched to the forensic laboratory in Zurich for comparative analysis against the projectiles and shell casings retrieved from the crime scene. Collaborating closely with the gun collectors' organization and arms merchants, approximately 3,000 registered Winchester owners were traced, interviewed, and documented. This exhaustive process entailed 38 residential searches, thorough interrogations of 30 suspects, and a temporary apprehension of 9 individuals.
Narrator:All confiscated Winchesters and replicas underwent test firing, with the resulting cartridges meticulously compared with those recovered from the scene after crime. This proved an immense and time consuming endeavour, unparalleled in its scope and complexity. Yet despite such exhaustive efforts, the outcome proved disheartening. No conclusive match was found. The murdered couples Opelas Kona was examined, but no footprints or anything else could be found.
Narrator:On day 8 after the murder, a mobile crane hoisted the entire cabin from its cement cornerstones, transporting it first to the Asthal and later to Solothurn for comprehensive forensic examination. The subsequent dismantling and scrutiny of the cabin, however, yielded no new evidence. Simultaneously, the police pursued dozens of incoming reports, meticulously searching the apartments of the victims, scrutinizing portions of properties, excavating gardens, and deploying divers to search nearby rivers and ponds. Exhaustive investigations left no stone unturned. The cantonal council of Solotone offered a reward of $12,000 for information leading to solving the crime.
Narrator:Every clue was painstakingly examined. And leads, even those that deemed 99% irrelevant, says Yaki, were followed diligently, preemptively addressing later accusations of oversight. The pressure from the press on the public intensified over the weeks, with individuals from various corners attempting to influence the investigation. Despite these challenges, the police grappled with an apparently insurmountable puzzle, with 2 vital pieces conspicently absent. What was the motive and where is the murder weapon?
Narrator:And furthermore, why were the victims all shot at point blank range from the front? And why did not one of them try to escape? The answer to the last two questions seemed ostensibly straightforward, either because the element of surprise was completely on the murderer's side or simply because the victims knew the perpetrator. This question forms a pivotal part of the narrative, which I will delve into in subsequent episodes, offering personal accounts of the chilling events that transpired on that ominous Saturday in June. A day when a murder so horrifying occurred that its traces and memory etched the name of the nearby village of Saven into Switzerland's criminal history and much more so into the minds of everybody involved.
Narrator:Stay connected with our podcast as we embark on a comprehensive exploration, uncovering the backgrounds of the victims, scrutinizing the initial suspect and delving into the ongoing investigations led by the police, including exclusive interviews with investigators, witnesses, and informants, providing unique insights into this haunting case. Please do visit our website at swissmurdermysteries.com for additional information, including maps, photographs, and details on how to support the creators of this podcast. This was Out in the Green, episode 1 of the Seewen Murder Mystery. An investigative true crime podcast by Playground Media Productions. Produced, written and narrated by Rudolf Eisler.
Narrator:Available on Apple Podcasts or any platform of your preference.