New detail discovered

When did amok hunter die? Maggots found on body

Roland Drexler is said to have been in this wooded area at the end.

(Bild: Einöder Horst/Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

The mystery surrounding the time of death of amok hunter Roland Drexler is causing uncertainty. The Salzburg coroner's office has not completed its investigation after the autopsy, but is still investigating. A new detail has now become known: Maggots were found on the 56-year-old's body.

"I'm really only interested in one thing: when did Drexler actually die?" - Even in judicial circles, there is currently hardly any other topic than the (still) unresolved "secrets" in the case of the Mühlviertel double murderer Roland Drexler (56) from Altenfelden.

Open questions must be accepted
The Linz public prosecutor's office has not yet received a written report from the police, but for the investigators "the matter is over". "The ball is now in the public prosecutor's court's court", says Gottfried Mitterlehner, head of the Upper Austrian State Office of Criminal Investigation.

There are currently no further investigation orders and the fact that some questions may remain unanswered has to be accepted. "We are not involved in speculation," says the chief investigator. According to the Linz public prosecutor's office, the time of death could not be determined - a statement that caused great excitement and incomprehension among the population.

Forensics and reconstruction of the crime are still open, further investigations are not planned as there is no evidence of escape helpers.

Gottfried Mitterlehner, Leiter des Landeskriminalamts Oberösterreich

This is what the head of forensic medicine says
The "Krone" contacted university professor Fabio Monticelli, the head of Salzburg's forensic medicine department, which is also responsible for Upper Austria. "There was a communication problem. We can't say for sure at the moment. In such cases, the first question is which method to use. Then we have to collect the weather data and compare it with the environmental conditions at the site. Normally there is always a certain 'error' that has to be found first. These are complex investigations that take time."

Fabio Monticelli is the head of forensic medicine in Salzburg

(Bild: Markus Tschepp/MARKUS TSCHEPP)

Maggots found on the body
But will the time of death be determined or not? Monticelli answers: "The time of death can never be determined, only the period of death. That is our mandate from the authorities. If it had been a question of whether the body had been lying for two or six days, we would have been able to give an answer. But in a case like this, you have to be precise."

The discrepancy between fiction and reality is huge, as you can see from the conspiracy theories. That's why precise information is so important.

Fabio Monticelli ist der Leiter der Salzburger Gerichtsmedizin

However, it has since leaked out that maggots were found on the body. Some fly species lay their eggs in the tissue one to two hours after death. Maggots hatch a few days later.

By the way: Roland Drexler's body has already been released for burial.

„Krone“-Kommentar

Eine genaue Aufklärung tut not

Unfortunately, it is an Austrian tradition that can be described as a bad habit: when major criminal events occur, the authorities never lay all their cards on the table. The worst example was the Kampusch case, where the silence of the authorities led to the wildest rumors, crazy conspiracy theorists wanted to turn the victim into an accomplice.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV, Alexander Schwarzl, Markus Wenzel)

This time, too, questions remain unanswered. The police, in particular, will not be helped by the terse explanation that the case is closed because the perpetrator is dead. The citizens have a right to be informed exactly what actually happened!