Last seen in front of a pub, three days later found murdered in the forest: Who killed 16-year-old Klaus Berninger more than three decades ago in Wörth am Main in Lower Franconia? With new techniques and evaluation methods, the police now want to convict a perpetrator and hope for new witness statements. The clues from people who may have observed something on the day the baker’s apprentice disappeared, December 20, 1990, could be decisive.
At a public event on Friday evening in the small town, the police and public prosecutor’s office informed citizens about the new investigation and encouraged them to disclose their knowledge. “Who can provide specific information on the murder of Klaus Berninger?”, “Who can provide information on whether Klaus Berninger was involved in any disputes?” or “Who can give clues as to who may have been involved in the Klaus Berninger murder?” are the investigators’ questions. Around 150 people attended the event, and some had already contacted the police, the authority said on Saturday. The “Soko Berninger” must now check the information.
According to the police, the teenager lived with his parents and his two sisters in Wörth (Miltenberg district). He trained as a baker in his parents’ business. He was last seen outside a pub in the city around 6pm on December 20, 1990. The 16-year-old did not return home in the evening and his parents reported him missing. The police searched in vain for the boy. On the morning of December 23, 1990, two people walking found his body in a forest near Wörth – not far from the Bavarian-Hessian border. According to the investigation, the youth was killed late in the evening on the day of his disappearance. According to what was known at the time, the young man died as a result of violence with a sharp-edged tool against his neck. “There is currently no reliable knowledge of the murder weapon,” said a police spokesman. “According to the current state of investigation, it is most likely assumed that one or more of those involved in the crime were from the environment of the victim.
At that time, the police officers followed about 180 leads without success. In the fall of 2010, investigations continued for several months. The Aschaffenburg criminal police is now working with a special commission on the case. For example, DNA tests should show the police a new lead. Murder does not become statute-barred, and so old cases, so-called cold cases, are rolled up again and again. However, the longer a crime occurred, the more difficult it is to solve it. There are countless “cold cases” across Bavaria – some of the victims have not even been identified to this day.