After the double murder

What still occupies the investigators

Roland Drexler shot two people in Upper Austria.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus/LPD OÖ, Markus Wenzel, Krone KREATIV)

Even though the body of hunter-slayer Roland Drexler was found in a wooded area on Saturday and normality has returned to Altenfelden, the case is far from over for the police. Some questions remain unanswered.

Exactly one week ago, the police received the first emergency call after the mayor of Kirchberg ob der Donau, Franz Hofer, was shot. The first emergency services were on the scene just a few minutes later, but were unable to save the 64-year-old. The long-time head of the village had been fatally shot in the head. At the time, nobody could have guessed that this would turn into the biggest operation in the history of the Mühlviertel.

Hunter knew his way around the forest
Instead of turning himself in, 56-year-old Roland Drexler sped off in his VW Caddy to the neighboring community and shot former hunting guide and police officer Josef Hartl with a pistol at close range. The 56-year-old then disappeared without a trace. Up to 300 emergency services, including numerous special units, were ordered to Altenfelden. They tried everything to find the fugitive. However, the search area was huge and mainly comprised wooded areas where the fugitive hunter knew his way around. 

The body of Roland Drexler was found in a wooded area.

(Bild: Werner Kerschbaummayr)

Over 400 tips, one was decisive
Over 400 tips have been received by the emergency services since the crime. The decisive one came from a farmer who found the wanted VW Caddy in a wooded area between the two crime scenes on Friday morning. The emergency services were called there immediately, but the search was unsuccessful for the time being. And the nerves of the deployed forces and the population were further strained. There was great fear that Drexler was out for a shoot-out with the officers.

Are there accomplices?
Until Saturday afternoon, when officers from the rapid intervention team came across the body of the fugitive double murderer. But even though the wanted man was found dead in a wooded area, the investigators' work is far from over. Today, Monday, Drexler's autopsy will reveal how long the 56-year-old had been lying dead in the forest. However, the possibility that the hunter may have had help cannot be completely ruled out.

The police do not yet have any new leads on this. They are now trying to reconstruct what actually happened and are also taking a closer look at the days leading up to the crime. It is still unclear where Drexler was after the two fatal shots and how he was able to drive his VW Caddy into the wooded area.