Germany crossbow killings: Two more bodies found as mystery deepens
Not clear how latest victims died or their relationship to crossbow killings 700km away
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.German police have found two more bodies during their investigation into the deaths of three people shot with crossbows in a hotel room.
The remains of two women were discovered inside the apartment of one of the original three victims.
The find adds another layer of mystery to the case, which began when officers found three bodies in a hotel room in the city of Passau, close to the border with Austria, on Saturday.
The remains of a 53-year-old man, a woman aged 33 and another woman aged 30 were all found in the room with crossbow bolts in their bodies.
Detectives were attempting to understand what had happened inside the hotel and what relationship the three had to each other when they searched an apartment in Wittingen, almost 700km further north, which was owned by the younger woman.
Inside, officers found two more dead bodies. Police have not yet said how the fourth and fifth victims died or whether they have been identified.
However, they did confirm they were investigating whether there were connections between the latest two dead and the three killed with crossbows.
A Bavarian police spokesman said there was currently no evidence to suggest anyone outside the hotel room was involved in the deaths of the three in Passau.
The man and the older woman, who were both from a village in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate, were found lying together in the bed, while the younger woman was on the floor.
The local prosecutor Walter Feiler told the German news agency DPA the couple on the bed were holding hands and had multiple crossbow bolts shot into them, while the other woman’s body was found with just a single bolt.
The group had booked a triple room in the hotel for three days, detectives have previously said.
Three crossbows were found inside the room. The weapons can be legally purchased by anyone over the age of 17 in Germany.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments