Essen Police Chief Transfers Historical Records on Major Crimes to the State Archive of North Rhine-Westphalia.
In a significant development, a trove of historical police investigation files, including records of capital crimes and unsolved murder cases dating back to the Weimar Republic, will be handed over to Dr. Frank Bischoff, President of the State Archives NRW, at the Essen Police Presidency on July 29, 2025.
The discovery of these files, primarily consisting of historical investigation records, was made in the spring of 2023 when a storage room full of old files was unearthed in the basement of the Essen Police Presidency.
Among the files to be handed over is one on the 1927 murder case, the oldest unsolved murder case found, which dates back to the Weimar Republic. Another notable find is the file on the murder of SS man Arnold Guse in 1932, initially claimed to be a communist killing but later found to be a politically motivated act of violence during the Nazi era.
The handover event will be conducted by Essen Police President Andreas StuΜve. One of the most intriguing cases included in the discovery is the file on the 1965 murder of teacher Luise Stoeckner in Mulheim an der Ruhr, a case that remained unsolved for a long time and was featured on the TV show "Aktenzeicher XY ungelost" in 1977.
The discovery also includes the investigation files on the 1971 kidnapping of Aldi founder Theo Albrecht, a case that has long been a subject of interest and speculation.
Journalists wishing to attend the handover event are requested to register by July 28, 2025, at 12:00 PM. The registration email address for journalists is [email protected]. The handover will take place at 10:00 AM in the Essen Police Presidency.
The handover event is scheduled for Tuesday, July 29, 2025, and the files will be handed over to Dr. Frank Bischoff, the president of the State Archives NRW, at the Essen police headquarters. The event is expected to shed light on some of the most intriguing unsolved cases in German history.
