Wilfried Kalitz was a man found dead in a gravel pit in Rheurdt-Schaephuysen, Germany. He was identified in 2019.
Case[]
On December 8, 1996, an unclothed man was found on the slope of a sand pit that had been disused for years and was now overgrown. He exhibited many blows to the face, presumably inflicted with a steel pipe. The face was almost unrecognizable, making identification impossible.
The unidentified dead man must have been killed in late November or early December (about 2-14 days before he was found). The victim was probably only laid down at the place where he was found, killed at another place.
The deceased was found without clothing, and it is believed that the man was killed by blunt force trauma at an earlier location before being thrown into the gravel pit. He had died approximately 48 hours to two weeks prior to his discovery.
A published sketch made no findings as to who was involved.
Recent developments[]
After the previous facial reconstructions did not help in clarifying the identity, a digital facial reconstruction was created in 2019. This was broadcast at the end of August 2019 in the TV program 'Aktenzeichen XY'. After this, over 50 tips were received. One proved to be a bull's eye.
Quickly, the unknown dead after more than 23 years was then identified by DNA tests as Wilfried.
Wilfried had several siblings, a divorced wife and two children (then 4 and 7 years old) and last lived in Würselen. His relatives stated that Wilfried disappeared in 1996 together with his dog Rex and his VW bus T3. Since Wilfried, who was 43 years old at the time, had money debts, his relatives thought that he had absconded abroad with his camper van and his dog for this reason. Therefore, they never reported Wilfried missing and his identification lasted almost a quarter of a century.
Wilfried worked for a long time as a bus driver, and lastly ran a trade in motor homes, which he had previously repaired. From the place where the body was found near Rheurdt, Wilfried lived about 100 kn away in Würselen.
In late September 2020, a suspect was arrested who was about 25 years old in 1996. Investigators suspect him of having killed Wilfried in his workshop at the time, which he used to repair his motorhomes, and then taking him to the Sandkuhle. The motive is said to have been greed: together with an accomplice, he is said to have demanded 5000 DM from Wilfried, which the latter refused to hand over. Together, the two are then said to have killed Wilfried: the accomplice had already died in 1997 in a motorcycle accident in Turkey. Together, they finally rolled Wilfried into a carpet and transported him in a car to the place where he was later found.
The 51-year-old defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment on May 11, 2021, as the court considered it proven that he had killed Wilfried. The main witness for the prosecution - the defendant's brother - was able to reveal detailed knowledge that the defendant had entrusted to him. Perpetrator knowledge, such as the exact killing of Wilfried, led to a conviction.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- Wilfried Kalitz at the Doe Network'
- World Today News
- Tag 24 (German)
- RP Online (German)
- FAZ (German)