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In episode five we take a close look at Carl Doser, the man that officially owned the murder weapon but fooled the police when questioned about his Winchester 20 years ago. How and where he grew up as well as his social and family background. And we’ll focus on a private investigator that wrote a book about the murder and for the first time ever came up with a motive and theory.
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- Rudolph Isler
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What is Swiss Murder Mysteries?
Uncover Switzerland’s most enigmatic murder cases with our riveting investigative true crime podcast.
In October 1996, there lingered absolutely no longer any shadow of a doubt. The rifle discovered was undeniably the firearm deployed in the slaying of the 5 victims at the cabin. Forensic experts in Zurich conducted exhaustive trials and comparisons with the bullet casings recovered from the crime scene, all of which yielded conclusive matches. Moreover, it was firmly established that the Winchester rifle belonged to Carl Dozer. Furthermore, and this was difficult for the investigators to admit, it became quite evident that when Dozer was questioned twice, shortly after the homicide, he had misled the police regarding the whereabouts of his Winchester.
Narrator:The conclusion was obvious. Carl Doser was implicated in the murder in one capacity or another. Yet the questions persisted. How and why? Was he related to the victims?
Narrator:Who exactly was this Carl Doser? Beyond his deceitful encounter with the law enforcement, his unemployment, and penchant for firearms, What do we know about this man? What secrets lurk within his modest one room flat, where a handgun was clandestinely concealed behind the shaving mirror and a murder weapon hidden in his mother's kitchen? But most importantly, where was he?
Narrator:This is 'The Fugitive', episode 5 of The Seewen Murder Mystery. An investigative true crime podcast by Playground Media Productions. Produced, written, and hosted by Rudolf Isler. The presumption of innocence applies. And while you listen, why not check out the show notes to connect to our website for maps, photographs, and details on how to rate, like, follow, or even support the creator of this podcast, please do leave a rating and comment. It is highly appreciated.
Narrator:After their press conference in October 1998, having disclosed the discovery of the murder weapon and its registered owner they believed that this revelation would lead to the resolution of the murder case even after 20 years had passed. But once again the results were sobering. Despite the widespread dissemination of the photographs and questionnaire across Switzerland, neighboring countries, and globally via Interpol, the anticipated influx of information was disappointingly meager. Only a few witnesses, mostly former schoolmates and neighbors from long ago, called in.
Narrator:More interestingly for the police, a handful of recent sightings purportedly placed Carl Doser in the streets of Cape Town, while others reported having seen him in a hotel lobby in Vancouver or at a train station in Chicago. All in all, a total of 75 new reports materialized, all of which were taken up by the investigators. But none of them significantly advanced the investigation. So who was this Carl Doser? This man who had no relatives or friends and whose parents had meanwhile both died.
Narrator:Here is what we know about him today. Carl Doser was born on August 8, 1947, in Alton, in the canton of Solothon. His mother, Anna Rosa Lederer, was a widow. Her husband, Lukas Lederer, had died in 1944. Karl's father, Arnold Doser, was a somewhat shady character who often drank heavily and, as we have heard, was not averse to the German Nazi regime.
Narrator:Arnold was divorced from his wife in 1945 and had a son from that marriage, Carl's half brother, to whom the missing persons investigator later handed over Carl's belongings after his disappearance. It is important to note that Karl was born out of wedlock and was only officially recognized by Arnold Dozer a few years later, though the exact date is not established. Carl's parents were never married but lived at the same address until 1953 when Arnold moved out. He finally died in 1972. Karl's mother, whom he greatly admired, ran a small sewing shop in Olton.
Narrator:As an only child, Carl rarely saw his father during his teenage years, which prevented development of a strong father son bond. In 1975, their home was demolished to make way for a new development, prompting Carl and his mother to relocate to Ritterweg 1. It was there in the kitchen that the Winchester was discovered, long after Carl's mother had died and he had moved to Basel. Schoolmates described Carl as level headed, always ready with a jest, yet he exhibited loner tendencies with traces of narcissism. He was noted for lacking close companionship and largely keeping to himself.
Narrator:A fellow student who resided in the same neighborhood as Carl during that period and who shared a school desk with him struggled to characterize him. Karl was seldom seen mingling with other boys during football games, for example. His disinterest in sports was obvious. On the other hand, he displayed remarkable talent in sketching, particularly in rendering Disney figures. Another classmate recalled Carl as always being very courteous and devoid of malice.
Narrator:The last encounter another former schoolmate had with him was in the streets of Alton in the seventies. Carl appeared aloof, his attention diverted elsewhere, deliberately avoiding his former peer. He never attended any class reunions either. And the teacher from his 5th and 6th grade couldn't even recall Carl at all, remarking ironically,
voice-over:'That must have been a very pale pupil.'
Narrator:After completing primary school, Carl enrolled in the district school and subsequently embarked on an apprenticeship as a mechanical draughtsman, although whether he saw it through to completion or abandoned it remains uncertain. As Carl aged, the train of information concerning him dwindled significantly. What's more, the scarcity of photographs depicting him is quite remarkable. This is particularly striking during that era when most families routinely amassed vast collections of images of their loved ones, meticulously archived in boxes or glued into thick photo albums. The final confirmed sighting of Carl Dozer was reported by a neighbor in Basel.
Narrator:She recalled seeing Carl once spring morning in 1977, riding his bicycle with a backpack down a quiet back street. He disappeared behind a corner and from that moment on, Carl Dozer was nowhere to be found. Carl Doser had vanished. In May 1998, the Solothurn Cantonal Police and the investigating magistrate office released the following headline and media statement.
voice-over:The 22nd anniversary of one of the worst crimes in Swiss criminal history, the murders in Seewen. Although the discovery of the murder weapon found in Olten a year and a half ago allows conclusions to be drawn about its last owner and suspected perpetrator, Carl Doser. There are still no hot leads in the case. This despite an international manhunt. However, the police have not yet given up hope of solving the bloody crime.
Narrator:It did not come as a surprise. Other murders had occurred that occupied the press and public. The police failed to establish a connection between Doser and one of the 5 victims, could not come up with a motive, and most disturbingly could not locate Carl Doser. What it really meant was that the case went cold. In 2001, Robert Sigrist, the son of the victims, meanwhile married to Anita, his former girlfriend who had also been arrested in 1976, authored a book entitled The Seewen Murder Case, narrated by the victim's son.
Narrator:Its primary aim, he claimed, was not merely to unravel the intricacies of the crime but rather to come to terms with the harrowing murder of his parents. With a blend of pragmatic detachment and the raw emotions of someone intimately affected, Siegrist chronicles his personal journey, scrutinizes the police investigation, and grapples with the paramount unanswered question: how could the authorities release the suspected perpetrator despite ample evidence, repeated interrogations, and a glaring absence of a credible alibi. Siegrist remained steadfast in his conviction that a more seasoned investigative team and a more professional approach could have led to the solution of the case. The book also serves as a passionate appeal against the statute of limitation for murder, a legal provision that remains in effect to this day but is hopefully on the brink of abandonment. Robert Siegrist fervently contends that the notion of the murderer or murderers of his parents potentially roaming the streets as a free, unpunished individual or individuals is not only difficult to reconcile with but utterly intolerable.
Narrator:Despite his intimate knowledge of his parents' lives, he too found himself at a loss when it came to finding the motive behind their brutal slaying. But 18 years later, someone did not. A certain Mr. Jacques Nordmann. In 2019, when the case seemed forgotten, most of the participants had died and the four cornerstones of the cabin had disappeared in the thick undergrowth, he published a book proclaiming to having found what the investigators did not.
Narrator:The motive. In his book, the author, a then 73 year old retired engineer and true crime sleuth, came up with an altogether new theory, and for the first time with a motive that even earned the approval of the victim's son, Robert. The author proclaimed that the investigations for his book were based on 3 sources. Robert Siegrist's account, the analysis of police photographs and sketches of the murder site, his own meticulous research. In the first section of his book, following a detailed description of the setting, family dynamics, and the murder weapon, he meticulously constructs a plausible scenario of the events unfolding on the fateful day of the crime.
Narrator:In the final section, however, Nordmann takes a daring narrative leap, assuming the persona of the perpetrator, Carl Dozer. In this Odache's yet fictional portrayal, he delves into Dozer's life story, exploring his relationship with his mother and, ultimately, recounting the events leading up to the murder itself. Through this narrative device, the fictional Carl Dozer confesses to the murder and endeavors to elucidate the motive that drove him to commit such a heinous act. Here, then, is the Nordman story in a nutshell. It was a day etched into Carl's memory, likely in the seventies, when his mother entrusted him with a closely guarded secret.
Narrator:She revealed that shortly after the war, precisely on Pentecost, 1947, she had a chance encounter with a young, charming man at a dance event. Over the ensuing weeks months, their meetings grew more frequent and she found herself gradually falling in love. Eventually, to her delight and surprise, she discovered that she was pregnant. However, when she joyfully shared the news with her lover, his reaction was far from what she anticipated. Instead of sharing in her happiness, he confessed to being already married.
Narrator:This relevation shattered the mother. But rather than disrupting the man's established family life, she chose to silently surrender to his wishes. Thus she agreed to terminate their relationship and accept the harsh reality that the father of her child would sever all ties and vanish from her life. The child she gave birth to was Carl, and his father was none other than Eugene Siegrist. The theory was not altogether just fiction, but substantiated by the fact that according to the old birth register, Carl was indeed born as an illegitimate child and only adopted by Arnold Doser later.
Narrator:In other words, he was not Carl's biological father. His father, so Norman's account, was a man whom Karl had never encountered. However, irrespective of the identity of his biological father, neither man stepped into the role of a paternal figure or contributed to Karl's upbringing. It was solely his solely his mother who shouldered the responsibility of raising him. Arnold Doser, even though later having acknowledged Carl as his son, only made sporadic appearances in Carl's life.
Narrator:And his eventual passing in 1972 marked the end of any potential relationship between the two. Initially taken aback by his mother's disclosure, Carl harbored no resentment against his biological father, Eugene. Instead, he felt a stirring curiosity and a desire to connect with this new found paternal figure. Tracking him down proved to be relatively straightforward. His mother knew of his whereabouts and provided Carl with his name, Eugen Siegrist.
Narrator:After considerable contemplation, Carl made the decision to reach out, eventually initiating contact and arranging a meeting. To his surprise, Eugen did not refuse his claim of paternity. Instead, he exhibited a remarkable openness and warmth towards his lost son. Their initial interactions were characterized by candid and meaningful conversations, and from that point forward they clandestinely met on numerous occasions, sometimes even at the secluded cabin where they could talk safely and undisturbed. But the initial promise of the relationship between Carl and Eugen turned sour when Carl expressed a fervent desire to meet his father's family, particularly his half brother and sister.
Narrator:Eugen vehemently rejected this proposal, understandably so, as his wife and children were unaware of Carl's existence. Eugen was reluctant to risk disrupting the stability of his established family life. In a bid for a compromise, Eugen finally agreed to introduce Carl to his sister Anna, with whom he shared a close bond and whom he trusted to keep a secret. Eugen kept his promise and introduced his sister Anna to Carl. But despite this concession, Carl remained unsatisfied, much to Eugen's dismay.
Narrator:Carl persisted in his demands, growing increasingly insistent with each passing interaction. This relentless pressure caused tensions between father and son, finally causing Eugene to withdraw emotionally and distance himself further from Carl. Disheartened and embittered by his father's perceived abandonment and lack of support, Karl's feelings of disgust and resentment towards Eugen deepened. An additional factor that supported his displeasure was that he suddenly realized that he was now suffering exactly the same destiny as his mother, whom Eugen had abandoned years ago neither morally, socially, nor financially. And the more his anger towards his father grew, the more he came to the inevitable firm conclusion.
Narrator:In his eyes, revenge became the only viable solution. The secluded cabin in Seewen emerged as the perfect setting for Carl's scheme, with Pentecost offering the ideal timing, marking exactly 30 years since his father had first encountered his mother at the dance event. In a calculated move, on the Friday preceding the murder, Carl made a decisive call to his father's office, ensuring that both Eugen and his sister Anna would be present at the cabin. What then happened is known. Whether acting alone or with accomplices, Carl carried out his plan, not only ending the life of his father and Anna but also causing collateral damage to Eugen's wife and Anna's two sons.
Narrator:The motive, according to Normann's theory, being revenge. Revenge for his father, not having accepted him as his son and having let down his beloved mother as well. This, mind you, is the author's theory. And you can think of it what you like. But it does indeed answer at least 5 paramount questions that had confounded investigators over the past 40 years.
Narrator:Firstly, Karl Doser possessed intimate knowledge of the cabin and surroundings. Secondly, it provided an explanation for Eugen's frequent clandestine absences, secretly meeting his son. Thirdly, it explained Eugene's phone call on the Friday preceding the murder, talking to Carl rather than 'Claire or 'Clara'. Fourthly, Eugen's mysterious envelope that he did not send by mail might have contained hush money intended to permanently silence Carl. And finally, it explained why neither of the recipient of the letter nor the person on the phone had ever come forward.
Narrator:The book and its theory swiftly captured the attention of tabloid newspapers thrusting the case back into the public spotlight. And once again, the prosecutors of Solothurn were in high demand for interviews and statements. Yet the account has one significant weakness. There was absolutely nothing that could prove the theory. They were pure assumptions that could not be substantiated by anything.
Narrator:No one had ever seen the two of them together, nor could Eugen's paternity be proven with a document from the civil statute's authority. To confirm a link between the two, a DNA comparison would have been necessary, a task reliant on the presence of Eugen and Doser's genetic material in police archives. Yet the authorities proved uncooperative. The existing DNA samples were contaminated, they said, rendering analysis both arduous and costly. Moreover, given the statute of limitation on the case, the police showed no inclination to pursue such a comparison independently.
Narrator:Of course, I was eager to talk to Norman and wrote him several mails. Finally, he sent a reply.
voice-over:I have no interest in talking to you.
Narrator:The rationale behind his disinterest can be tracked back to December 2019 when a former classmate of Carl Doser publicly challenged his theory. This classmate represented eight of Carl's former schoolmates who had come together to analyze the author's account in detail. They convincingly pointed out several discrepancies and purely fictional interpretations in Normann's work. One of them refuted Norman's claim that Karl Dozer had used the hiding place in the kitchen already as a child. This was simply not possible, he argued, because Karl was already 29 years old when he and his mother moved into the flat where the Winchester was found.
Narrator:In yet another section of his book, Nordmann wrote that whenever a mushroom dish was served, Carl knew that money was tight and his mother had picked the mushrooms herself from the forest next to their house. However, so the classmate, their apartment was located at the busy intersection with no forest nearby and even included a period photograph to prove it. While these critiques may be valid, they should not have undermined the validity of Normann's theory itself, that Eugen Siegrist and not Arnold Doser was Carl's biological father. However, they served as the backbone for discrediting the author's theory by highlighting the shortcomings of his overall research. But by far the most devastating point, however, was that the former classmate refuted the very basis of Norman's theory.
Narrator:He claimed that the records from the Olten City archives conclusively established that Arnold Dozer was Karl's father, affirming his legal paternity. In light of these revelations, the credibility of Normann's theory waned. It irritated me that a former classmate without any family relations could obtain this private information, let alone be given access to the personal files in the city's archives. So I wrote the former classmate a mail with the request to get some details about his claim. His reply was short.
voice-over:I do not share information with people I don't know and cannot identify. The matter should best be left alone.
Narrator:I assumed that if he gained access to those files, so would I. So I filed a written request to the city's residence registration office asking two questions. Is it correct that Carl Doser was born as a legitimate child, bearing his mother's name? If yes, when did Arnold Doser legally accept Carl as his biological son? The answer came 6 weeks later.
Narrator:Yes, Carl Doser was born as an illegitimate child bearing his mother's name. This information is open to the public. The relevant entry can be viewed at any time in the residence register of the city archives. The answer to my second question, when did Arnold accept Carl as his son, was, this information is recorded in the minutes of the guardianship authority.
Narrator:These are subject to protection and cannot be viewed. So it is therefore established that Karl was born as an illegitimate child. This means that at the time of his birth his mother, Anna Rosa Lederer, did not officially declare Arnold Doser as his father. But why? To further complicate things, there is a postcard addressed to Arnold Dozer, which features a typewritten inscription and postage stamps that detail Carl Doser's date and time of birth.
Narrator:It has always been assumed that this is a self addressed postcard written by Arnold Dozer to commemorate his son's birth. A copy of the postcard is on our website. If you look at it closely, you see that Carl was born August 8, 1947 at 18:15 or 6:15 PM. If you then look at the postage stamp, you see the same date and the letters 19, which is 7 PM. Meaning that more or less within an hour and a half, this postcard was on its way to Arnold.
Narrator:I think it is much more likely that his mother had someone type it and then had it sent by express mail to inform Arnold Doser about the birth of Carl. Therefore it is puzzling that he was not registered as the new born's father right there and then, but only years later. This may not have a bearing on the case, but it is just another unsolved little mystery that is difficult to explain. And although Arnold Doser was registered as Carl's biological father, this does not rule out the fact that the biological father could have been Eugen Siegrist. While the Nordmann theory offered plausible explanations and a compelling motive, Its foundation slowly crumbled under scrutiny.
Narrator:Finally it was dismissed and not followed up by the press, let alone by the investigators. Some think that was a mistake. Normann's theory still hangs in the balance. Its credibility undermined but by the emergence of, mind you, not contradictory evidence, but the testimony of one single person. Now as the police withdrew from the active investigations into the case, the seven murders faded from the headlines, leaving a haunting silence in its wake.
Narrator:Yet as the week turned into month and a month into years, whispers of the case began to circulate, transforming it into a shadowy legend. Once a sensational topic for the tabloids, the case slowly morphed into Switzerland's most notorious unsolved murder, captivating the public's imagination. Its enigmatic circumstances, combined with the police apparent abandonment of the case, only fueled speculation and intrigue. And as the story lingered in the collective consciousness, it became a chilling reminder of the secrets that still lie hidden in the picturesque landscapes of Switzerland, drawing amateur sleuth and curious minds alike to unravel the mystery that refuses to die. The only man that could have shed a light could not be found.
Narrator:Then one cold grey morning in November 2023, a suspicious message landed in my inbox.
voice-over:Don't try to find me. I will find you.
Narrator:And attached to it was an 8-page document. To uncover the details of this enigmatic new narrative, tune into 'A new lead', the final episode of the Seewen Murder Mystery. This was 'The Fugitive', episode 5 of the Seewen Murder Mystery, an investigative true crime podcast by Playground Media Productions. Produced, written, and hosted by me, Rudolf Isler. Available on Apple Podcast or any platform of your preference.
Narrator:Please do check out the show notes to connect to the Swiss Murder Mystery's website for maps, photographs, and to easily rate, like, follow, or to even support the creator of this podcast financially. Your support is highly appreciated and a prerequisite to research and publish new cases.