Authorities seek resolution in the case of a young girl’s homicide.

Around 37 years after the fact, the Hessian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) together with the Darmstadt public prosecutor’s office Murder rolled up again on a 15-year-old student. As the authorities announced on Thursday, the young Jutta Hilde Hoffmann was murdered on June 29, 1986 after visiting an outdoor pool in Lindenfels in the Odenwald. Now the investigators are hoping for a new lead: for the first time, a perpetrator profile has been created.

“A light-skinned man with blue eyes who was in his mid-20s at the time and is now around 60 years old” is being sought. He is said to be right-handed and violent and at least then had blond hair. Maybe he’s from the area. He was “locally familiar with the southern Hessian area”.

The investigators meticulously retraced the day the fifteen-year-old disappeared: That’s how she met friends at the outdoor pool in Lindenfels that Sunday. She behaved “as always” and did not affect any of her friends differently than usual, as the LKA and the public prosecutor announced. At around 5.30 p.m. the student said goodbye, left the swimming pool and walked home at around 5.45 p.m. – alone. She then disappeared without a trace until a year and a half later, on February 10, 1988, her skeletonized body was found in a forest in Lindenfels.

Schoolgirl attended fire brigade festival

The investigators have focused primarily on the time of the disappearance of the student. “June 29, 1986 is the day on which the final of the soccer World Cup took place in Mexico between Germany and Argentina. This was shown on television at 8 p.m. German time,” said a statement from the authorities. “On this day, in the afternoon, a youth camp of the volunteer fire brigades from the Odenwald, which was located near the outdoor pool in Lindenfels, ended.”

On the evening before the crime, a large fire brigade festival also took place in Eulsbach – a neighboring town of Lindenfels – which Jutta Hoffmann also attended. At the time she was 1.75 meters tall, slim and had short, medium-blonde hair.

more on the subject

Investigators hope someone remembers the student despite the long time that has passed since then. When she left the pool at the time, she was wearing a blue cotton dress with short sleeves and yellow cuffs, as well as a yellow faux leather belt. She also had braided white low shoes with her, which according to the LKA had not yet been found.

She also wore a white bikini with pink polka dots. She was carrying a grey-blue Adidas sports bag with handles, which was also never found. Inside was a black bathing suit, a gray key case with three keys, a beach towel with a Holland theme and little houses, along with Coco suntan oil, a bathing cap, a hairbrush, and a soda bottle.

Investigators’ questions:

1. Who can provide information about a male person who turned up on June 29, 1986 in Lindenfels im Odenwaldin the Lindenfels swimming pool or the neighboring campsite in Schlierbach?

2. Who can provide information on the missing objects, possibly also in connection with the profile of the perpetrator?

3. Who can provide information about events in Lindenfels in relation to the World Cup final at that time?

4. Did people who fit the description of the perpetrator’s profile not show up to watch the football game or showed up late? Were these people conspicuous in any way? Did they behave strangely, look different, or have injuries?

The public prosecutor’s office in Darmstadt has offered a sum of 5,000 euros for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrator.

The case was also broadcast on Wednesday in the program “Aktenzeichen XY unsolved”. A hotline is currently set up at 0611 / 83-838383.

In addition, information and advice is also available around the clock on 0611 / 83-8300. Likewise, the information form (also anonymous) under be used.