"Investigation underway"

Murder? Identity clarified, cause of death still a mystery

The badly decomposed body was discovered in Hall on January 20.(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

The identity of the badly decomposed and partially skeletonized body that was found in a garden in Hall in Tyrol a week and a half ago has been clarified - but the cause of death is still a mystery. "We are investigating in all directions and can't rule anything out," says the chief investigator. The case remains a real thriller!

It must have been a shock! The resident of the property in question was actually looking for his cat around midday on Monday, January 20. In the end, the man found a body in an area of the garden that was difficult to access and see - specifically: the mortal remains of a human!

DNA comparison solved the identity mystery
The identity and cause of death were initially completely unclear. An autopsy at the Innsbruck forensic medicine department also failed to provide any clues. Only a DNA comparison was able to solve at least one mystery - that of the identity. The deceased was a 30-year-old from Innsbruck!

Disappeared without a trace since fall
The man had been missing since September 5 of the previous year. "According to what we know so far, he parked his car in the east of Innsbruck and has been unreachable since then," it said at the time. All police inquiries came to nothing. At the end of October, investigators from the Tyrolean State Criminal Police Office pinned their hopes on a public search and published a photograph of the missing man.

But this measure was also unsuccessful. The anxiety for the relatives and friends continued - before they were informed of the 30-year-old's death by the police late on Thursday afternoon.

The possibility of third-party negligence can definitely not be ruled out.

Chefermittler Philipp Rapold

From missing person to murder case?
However, the cause of death is still a mystery and "still completely unclear", as chief investigator Philipp Rapold told "Krone" on Friday morning. Due to the condition of the mortal remains - the body was badly decomposed and even skeletonized in places - it has not yet been possible to determine the cause of death.

"The investigation is ongoing and we are continuing to investigate in every direction," Rapold continued. The (criminal) case therefore remains a mystery. Ultimately, it could also become a murder case. Because: "The possibility of third-party involvement can definitely not be ruled out," concluded chief investigator Rapold.