An Unreported Murder in East Germany
In 1981, a horrific murder case required police in East Germany to go door-to-door collecting handwriting samples. There was no public outrage, because they were not told about the crime.
In late January 1981, a 19-year-old railway maintenance worker named Uwe Theuerkorn was inspecting the stretch of track between the East German cities of Halle and Leipzig when he made a discovery. Next to the rails was a suitcase, half covered with the snow that had until recently blanketed the area. As he later recalled to a German television crew, Theuerkorn had at first been excited by the find. He said he had imagined that there might be money inside, and had begun to think about what he could do with it. It also crossed his mind that there could be a pair of jeans in there, specifically Levi’s – indicative of young East Germans’ fervent desire to own, wear, and be seen wearing Western denim labels. Theuerkorn, however, was in for a grim surprise: instead of money or Western clothing he found the body of a young boy wrapped in a plastic bag and newspapers.
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