Stade sextuple murder: Suspect dies in prison by suicide, probe shifts to two women

With the death of the alleged perpetrator in prison, the murder trial threatens to be canceled. Nevertheless, authorities continue to investigate two women.

29 July 2026 | 10:50 Uhr

Six people were killed here: the crime scene in Stade on June 30. Photo: Kai Moorschlatt/dpa

dpa — Survivors are hoping for a trial, politicians are demanding clarification of the circumstances of the suspect's death, and the public prosecutor's office is investigating two women for murder – one month after the horrific act in Stade, many questions remain unanswered.

"Everything is open, I cannot make any promises about whether charges will be filed," says Julia Pirk, spokesperson for the Stade Public Prosecutor's Office. "On a human level, I can understand that very well."

Ongoing Investigations

The 34-year-old mother of the child and the 65-year-old driver of the getaway car remain under suspicion of being involved in the act. "We are in the investigation phase; accused persons in criminal proceedings do not have to make statements," Pirk explained. The 65-year-old is not reachable for the media, but she is for the authorities.

The public prosecutor's office is currently awaiting the results of the autopsy of the 45-year-old. He is said to have strangled himself with an item of outer clothing on July 21 in the Bremervörde prison. "We have to determine whether it was a suicide. So far, we have no indications to the contrary," said Pirk. Possible prior convictions in Turkey are taking a back seat because investigations are not conducted against deceased persons.

Who Caused the Infant's Brain Hemorrhage?

Meanwhile, the Hanover Public Prosecutor's Office is investigating who was responsible for the infant's brain hemorrhage prior to the act with six deaths in the mother-child facility. A medical report from a special expert in North Rhine-Westphalia is not expected until the end of August at the earliest. It is intended to clarify whether the injury resulted from shaken baby syndrome.

"We are having this checked based on the medical letters; that is mandatory," said prosecutor Oliver Eisenhauer in Hanover.

In a letter from the 65-year-old – allegedly the baby's godmother – an accident is mentioned. Following the father's death, it is now also being investigated whether the mother might have been responsible for the incident. After that, custody was removed from both; the 34-year-old lived with the infant in the facility in Stade. In the case of mistreatment of wards, charges or even an arrest warrant could follow. Investigations against the suspect with a Turkish passport for threatening doctors have been dropped.

Calls for Investigation into Prison Death

Victim's lawyer Steffen Hörning and politicians are calling for an investigation into the death in prison. He is convinced that it was wrong to relax the detention conditions for the alleged perpetrator. He had already appeared highly manipulative in the past. The 45-year-old was initially under special observation, which was gradually relaxed based on a psychologist's assessment and finally lifted entirely.

Hörning, who represents two surviving families, points to the difficulty of coping with the events without a murder trial: "There, they want to give their family member a face, to talk about him." According to the lawyer, the survivors now hope that evidence will ultimately be found that the two women were involved in the act and will be charged.

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