Reconstructions of the victim; tattoo, clothing and ring; crate containing remains.
Reconstructions of the victim; tattoo, clothing and ring; crate containing remains.
Date of Discovery: July 5, 2016
Location of Discovery: Vockerode, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Estimated Date of Death: Weeks prior
State of Remains: Unknown
Cause of Death: Homicide
Estimated Age: 45-60 years old
Race: White
Sex: Male
Height: 180 cm (5'9")
Weight: 75 kg (165 lbs.)
Hair Color: Unknown; head shaved.
Eye Color: Unknown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Athletic build. Prior broken nose and a distinctive "dent" in the top of skull (both unrealted to death.) The name "Michaela" was tattooed in black ink on the left forearm. He had likely gotten the tattoo in May 2016.
Dentals: Unknown. Poor oral health. Unlikely he had ever received dental care.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Available.
Clothing: Dark blue shorts made from sweat-pant material, sold by German retailer C&A. A red circular logo on the left pant-leg reads �Long Beach Bay, California Summer.� Underneath the shorts, the victim was wearing a pair of reddish-orange briefs, with the images of a belt printed around the waistband and a cartoon bear peeking out from behind a zipper.
Jewelry: Plain gold ring with the name �Michaela� inscribed on the inside of the band, found on the victim�s right ringer finger. Assumed to be wedding ring.
Additional Personal Items: A metal crate was used to contain the remains.
Around noon on 5 July 2016, a man kayaking in the Elbe river noticed a large metal crate floating near the riverbank.
Finding it suspicious, he called police, who arrived at the scene and confirmed that the crate contained the corpse of an adult male.
The crate was determined to be an old tool box that had been mass-produced in Germany in the 1990s.
Two stickers were stuck to the inside of the crate�s lid: a logo for BETRA, the manufacturer and a logo for German radio/broadcaster DF, featuring two cartoon characters.
The name �Albert Gluck� was handwritten in large black letters on the side of the crate.
Police believe the man was put into the crate immediately after his death and was then transported by car to the A9, a busy highway that connects Berlin to Munich�on a bridge above the Elbe river.
The crate was then removed from the vehicle by two or more people and thrown into the river below.
Scratch marks, paint chips and dents on the outside of the crate, along with similar markings on the railing of the bridge, led investigators to conclude that the crate was thrown off the bridge from the side of the highway heading towards Munich.
In the months before the murder, a dark, older-model hatchback BMW was seen pulled onto the shoulder of the bridge, facing Munich.
No people were seen in or around the car when it was spotted. Police suspect the car and those who drove it are connected to the crime.
Investigators believe it�s possible that the victim had been a seasonal worker on an asparagus farm in Beelitz, Brandenburg, the state next to Saxony-Anhalt.
An isotope analysis found that the victim was likely from Southeastern Europe, probably the former Yugoslavia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Romania or Bulgaria, where he had lived for roughly 35 years. He had only been in Germany for the last 6-10 years prior to his death, and had been living inland, away from the coast.
Agency Name: Polizeidirektion Sachsen-Anhalt Ost
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency Phone Number: +49 0340 6000-291 or +49 0800 6000-670
Agency E-Mail: lfz.pd-ost(at)polizei.sachsen-anhalt.de
Agency Case Number: Unknown
MazOnline
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung (14 November 2016)
Mitteldeutsche Zeitung (4 June 2017)
Welt
Abendzeitung
Added: 1/22/19; Last Updated: 1/22/19
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
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