Suspected murder-suicide in Germany leaves family of four dead
Four people from the same family have been found dead in a house in the German state of Thuringia, in what police suspect was a murder-suicide carried out by the father.
The 49-year-old man, a policeman, apparently killed his wife and two children and then himself in the small town of Klettbach.
All the bodies had bullet wounds, police and prosecutors said.
Police received a call at about 6:30 am (0430 GMT) and arrived at the scene about 20 minutes later.
The house where the bodies were found remains cordoned off. The bodies have been removed from the scene.
While briefing reporters, visibly shocked police officer Christian Hackbart said that he knew the dead policeman personally.
Investigators did not reveal the age of the woman or the children, and neither did they comment on the background to the crime.
Klettbach is located some 12 kilometres south-east of the Thuringian state capital Erfurt. About 1,300 people live in the town.
The mayor of Klettbach, Franziska Hildebrandt, said she was “shocked” at the news.
Police officers secure the area around a crime scene in Klettbach, where four people have been found dead in the Weimarer Land region of Thuringia. This was confirmed by a spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office in Erfurt. Johannes Krey/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
Police officers secure the area around a crime scene in Klettbach, where four people have been found dead in the Weimarer Land region of Thuringia. This was confirmed by a spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office in Erfurt. Katrin Zeiss/dpa
Police officers secure the area around a crime scene in Klettbach, where four people have been found dead in the Weimarer Land region of Thuringia. This was confirmed by a spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office in Erfurt. Katrin Zeiss/dpa
