These have now been reopened. The investigators are also hoping for information from the public.
The North Rhine-Westphalia State Criminal Police Office (LKA) had previously re-examined the unsolved homicides from 1970 onwards in North Rhine-Westphalia by deploying experienced investigators who had returned from retirement (so-called "senior experts"). As a result, 42 cases were identified for the Dortmund police headquarters including the districts of Unna, Soest, HSK and Hamm, where it may still be possible to solve the case by using the latest forensic investigations. First Chief Detective Inspector Carsten C. Philipps, head of KK 11, expressly praised the cooperation with the LKA NRW and the Dortmund public prosecutor's office and would like to build on this.
In the past, the homicide investigators of KK 11 have already been able to solve two so-called "old cases": the murder case from Dortmund involving Nicole-Denise Schalla and the case from Soest-Ostönnen involving Ursula Scheiwe. In both cases, new investigation methods and further investigations led to the crimes being solved.
First Chief Inspectors Carsten C. Philipps and Gregor Schmidt from KK 11 have now set themselves the task of solving previously unsolved murder cases - because unlike manslaughter, murder is not time-barred. The clearance rate for homicides throughout Germany is well over 90 percent. The "Cold Case" investigation team at Dortmund Police Headquarters - consisting of the head of the EG EKHK Gregor Schmidt, three experienced homicide investigators from Criminal Investigation Department 11, a forensic technician, three government employees (former homicide investigators returning from retirement) and younger homicide investigators - is now dedicated to unsolved cases. The investigators try to work out new lines of inquiry and use the latest forensic methods to find clues that could lead to solving the crime.
However, sometimes a breakthrough in the investigation is not achieved. That's why the police and public prosecutor's office are now going public and are also relying on tips from the public.
The first case to puzzle the investigators is a homicide from 1991 in Dortmund-Scharnhorst. The then 28-year-old decorator Heike Kötting was found stabbed to death in her terraced house. Investigators assume that the perpetrator or perpetrators entered the house through a cellar shaft. The Dortmund woman's car was found a few days after the crime at a highway rest area in France. On Wednesday, January 17, 2024, this cold case will be broadcast on the ZDF program "Aktenzeichen XY". The public prosecutor's office in Dortmund has offered a reward of 5,000 euros for the decisive clue.
One case from 1986 is of particular interest to the investigators: in Unna, Marc Gutte, then aged eleven, was found dead in a cornfield. The cause of death was blunt force to the head. A DNA trace has now been found on the body, but it is not recorded in the database. This case shows: Even decades later, forensic scientists can evaluate, reanalyze and assess the finest traces.
Another cold case from 1986 is keeping the detectives busy. The then 67-year-old Joseph Milata, who was homosexual, regularly invited young men to his apartment in Bergkamen. On September 26, Milata was found with numerous stab wounds. He was also strangled.
Scientists from the LKA Düsseldorf were also able to extract DNA traces here, but these can be attributed to several people. As the DNA traces could also have been left in the apartment by authorized persons, it has not yet been possible to substantiate any suspicions with certainty.
Another cold case dates back more than 45 years: Heinrich Brüggemann was found dead in his apartment in Arnsberg in 1977. The 37-year-old was lying in his bathroom with numerous stab wounds and cuts. It can currently be assumed that the perpetrator and the victim knew each other. The innkeeper, who was often referred to as "Heino", was homosexual. Investigators found a condom with suspected perpetrator DNA in his apartment, but there was still no match in the database. After the crime, unknown perpetrators took the landlord's daily takings and a revolver. Investigations to date have not led to the arrest of the perpetrator.
A young man, who was around 17 to 18 years old at the time, had black hair and possibly missing teeth, is being sought in this connection. The alleged perpetrator and the victim met in the "Sternkeller" restaurant in Arnsberg. There, the man showed a letter of dismissal from his training company and waved a knife about 20 cm long. Heinrich Brüggemann left the restaurant with the young man that day and went with him to the "Capri-Bar", which was run by the victim.
Witnesses who can provide information on the above cases are asked to contact Dortmund Criminal Investigation Department: Tel. 0231/132-7441.