A new hot Lead (6/6)
Switzerland is a small country, which means news travels fast. But now This is especially true when researching an unsolved murder case, as it involves visiting various locations and speaking with many people connected to the case, investigators, victims' relatives, prosecutors, journalists, suspects, neighbors, and witnesses. And thorough research requires repeated travels to various sometimes remote places. Not just to identify the perpetrator or to uncover the truth That in my opinion but to provide you, the listener, with all relevant information closest group. That in the end allows you to draw your own conclusions about what really happened.
Narrator:The sort of which When the crime scene is located in or near a small village in the countryside, locals quickly take notice when a car with Zurich license plates appears repeatedly. It does attract attention. In the country, people watch, wonder, talk, and share their observations. And then people Google and sometimes even send a message by mail. Questions Sometimes positive, sometimes negative, and every once in a while, with altogether new information.
Narrator:To further complicate This is a new heart clip. The final episode of the Savant Murder Mystery. An investigative true crime podcast by Playground Media Productions. Produced, written, and hosted by me, Rudolf Eisler. The presumption of innocence applies.
Narrator:And while you listen, please connect to our website for further information and kindly leave a rating or comment. Needless to say that even the smallest financial contribution, be it only $1, is essential for me to research and publish new cases for your future entertainment. 76. Thank you very much.
Narrator:I have asked them to keep it confidential. She claimed to have seen a gnome like figure near the cabin in Saven on the very day of the murders. The police So it happened that earlier this year, while I was deeply immersed in researching this case, I received a 7 page document titled repercussions. The save in the case. Investigative And you, Hartley.
Narrator:The sender, I could not track. And apart from the attached documents, the message included one single additional line.
Informant:Don't try to find me. I will find you.
Narrator:Yet she was so fearful of potential repercussions that the investigators placed In the introduction of the document, the author explained briefly that he had always been interested in the case but had only recently begun researching it again as his work and personal circumstances allowed. Now retired and having lost his wife, whom he had promised to let the matter rest, he felt compelled to share his insights but insisted on remaining anonymous. In addition to this testimony and Norman's theory discussed in the previous episode, 2 more theories have emerged over the years. In the first section of the document, the author recounts the several events directly related to the murder case. Potentially He claims to have personally experienced or witnessed these events prior to the murder and asserts that he knew the individuals he wrote about.
Narrator:But to avoid potential libel, he replaced their real names with fictitious ones. I promise to respect his wishes. And here then is the first part of this account.
Informant:We are in 1975, 1 year before the crime. It was Saturday. I was sitting in the restaurant Schonig in Basel with a few friends when Mario entered. I knew him well. He had also worked as a laboratory technician and we went to trade school together.
Informant:Mario took a quick look around, greeted everyone, sat down at the table with his mates, and ordered a beer. With his brash demeanor, he quickly dominated the conversations around the table. That this woman later, Mario stood up and approached my table.
Narrator:Apparently, the evidence
Informant:He bent down and whispered in my ear to come out with him. Education. I thought that was a bit odd, but then I followed him to his car, which was parked right outside the restaurant. Without a word, Mario opened the trunk and took out a wrapped object. He slowly removed the cloth and revealed a Winchester.
Informant:I was speechless. I hadn't expected that. Then asked him where he had gotten it and why. Mario explained that he had planned to use it for a combat shooting practice in a gravel pit later today. Over the past few weekends, however, Mayo explained with a broad smile, he and a friend had also used it on nearby Lake Beale and Lake Merton to track down campers and lovers and scare them with the gun.
Informant:Just for fun, he said. I told him that was plain stupid and that he should stop doing that. Mario then told me that he had bought the Winchester from a man from SolaTern, a complete idiot as he called him. The man had attracted attention in Mario's favorite pub, bragging about it and wanting to make an impression. Mario told him that he would have to prove it to them.
Informant:No problem, the man replied, left the pub, and returned a half hour later with the original Winchester. Mario offered him 200 Swiss francs. The guy took the money, and the rifle was his. I asked him how he got the ammunition.
Narrator:After the war Mario
Informant:then mentioned a cheeky little chap with a voice like Mickey Mouse called Dolphy, and that it was him that organized the ammunition.
Narrator:To the Germans.
Informant:When I read about the murders in the newspaper a year later, I immediately fought back to that strange encounter with Mario, especially those crazy outings, frightening campers, and lovers. But as the police were convinced that it was a relationship offense, I dismissed the idea that he could have been involved. I also knew Mario was not familiar with the area around the cabin. He never went to the farmers and farmhands as he derogatorily called the countryside. 20 years later, when the weapon was found and I read that the owner of the Winchester was a certain Carl Dozer, the whole thing came to mind once again.
Informant:No I did some research and found out that Dozer was from Zoloturn. But not only that, in 1976, he lived in Basel and only a stone's throw from the restaurant Shonig, where Mario said to have bought the rifle. Was Carl Dozer the stupid guy from Zoloturn that Mario described to me?
Narrator:It doesn't explain
Informant:If so, then why did Dozer tell the police that he had sold the Winchester to an unknown person at a flea market? The problem was that there was absolutely no connection between Mario and the victims, yet I never gave up the idea that Mario could be involved. There were just too many facts hinting in that direction. I could never get my head around it. It all seemed very strange to me.
Informant:It made no sense.
Narrator:Another theory is
Informant:Was Dozer really the murderer?
Narrator:Linked to
Informant:Yes. It was his rifle. His passport was there.
Narrator:Eugene Siegfried
Informant:But was such a hiding place logical? Dozer must have known that the kitchen would be remodeled one day, and it would then come to light. Why did he not simply destroy or dump the rifle in a lake where it hardly ever would be found? One explanation could be that suspicion was deliberately directed at Dozer.
Narrator:A tricking theory.
Informant:Is Dozer wrongly suspected of the offense?
Narrator:Murders remain
Informant:Did he not go missing, but was he also killed? Any hope Did the perpetrator or perpetrators then use his mother's house keys to hide the gun there? I could never get these thoughts out of my head.
Narrator:Had faded over the years.
Informant:But one day, a couple of years ago, I found the missing link.
Narrator:The most significant
Informant:I knew from the press that a distant relative, a short man called Johnny, had obviously provided the ammunition for the crime and that for a time he was the prime suspect. But what I didn't know was that Johnny was also called Dofi. Johnny and Delphi were the same person. My breath was caught in my throat. It sent shivers down my spine.
Informant:This must have been the same man Mario mentioned when I asked him about the ammunition. From a little man with a Mickey Mouse voice, he had told me at
Narrator:the time.
Informant:Johnny or Dolphy was the connection between Mario and the crime. Mario was involved in the crime. They had done it together. Johnny provided the ammunition and knew the victims and the area around
Narrator:the cabin.
Informant:That explained why none of them tried to run away. Mario, on the other hand, owned the car and the gun. Suddenly, it all made sense. But had they planned the crime, or did they just wanna scare people again and then everything got out of hand?
Narrator:And until Carlos Or
Informant:was it even a contract killing?
Narrator:The unsolved slaughter This concludes the first section of his account will remain which presents a completely new version of the crime. Swiss country It is hard to believe that his story is entirely fabricated. Usually. Are we to believe his account that it seems very likely that the man Mario bought a rifle from was Carl Dozer. He was from Solothon, lived close to the restaurant, and owned a Winchester.
Narrator:However, his account raises one crucial question. If Mario and Johnny committed the murders with Dozer's rifle, then how and why did the Winchester end up back with Dozer and hidden at his mother's apartment? Sensational discovery. Maybe because Dozer had been killed too. The idea that those who was indeed dead is supported by another strange incident.
Narrator:For that reason, the informant experienced with Mario around 1980. Uncovered.
Informant:I was invited to a garden party. Mario was there as well
Narrator:Here is
Informant:and we started to chat.
Narrator:May say.
Informant:I asked him what kind of work he was involved in.
Narrator:Without reason, my discretion I
Informant:am working the central heating department at a major pharma company.
Narrator:But here is
Informant:Mainly night shifts. It pays better. People leave me alone. I throw just about anything into the oven, including animal carcasses from the laboratory. Limited.
Informant:The oven is a sensation. It's huge and so hot it burns anything, even a dead body.
Informant:I thought this to be another of Mario's sick jokes, but then he became slightly more detailed.
Informant:So if
Informant:you ever need it,
Informant:let me know. Just make sure to freeze the body and cut it up in pieces no larger than 60 centimeters for them to fit in a duffel bag so that I can get them safely pass secured.
Informant:Was this more of an experience report than a joke? Who on earth would care in no such details had he not been previously confronted with these issues? In other words, could it possibly be that Mario got rid of Dozer in exactly this manner?
Narrator:It was signed in my The author could have reported his observations to the police. 2,000 But by then, the case had reached its statute of limitations. 1 of these Additionally, his wife was acquainted with the suspect's wife, and he lacked any concrete evidence to support his claims. 2 men. That's So he decided against it.
Narrator:But now let's hear the second part of his account.
Informant:37 years after the Sabin murder, the case had passed its statute of limitations, so the police were not my first choice to share my knowledge
Narrator:with.
Informant:I instead approached Robert Seegrest, the victim's son. Together, we decided to commission an experienced lawyer that was already familiar with the murders to look at the case and submit ideas how to best proceed. I was then asked to disclose the real name of Mario in case the lawyer might have already heard about him in the context of the murder. It made sense to me.
Narrator:The exact So
Informant:I gave Robert the name, and he promised to keep it secret and only pass it on to the lawyer. But already the next day, a journalist called me. Somehow, the name must have leaked to the press, and that's when everything got out of hand. My and Mario's names are printed, and soon after, I received a charge for defamation. This inevitably brought me in contact with the prosecutor's office in Basel.
Informant:To my amazement, they were not at all surprised when they had heard my account and Mario's real name. Even worse, they said that for them, Mario had always been a suspect.
Narrator:And after months of investigation
Informant:But here comes the real sensation. Weeks before giving the name to the lawyer, I had called Max Yegi, the lead investigator of the Zolotern police, who was in charge of the murder investigation from its beginning. I casually mentioned Mario's name, but in contrast to the Basel police, he replied,
Informant:I have never heard that name.
Informant:In other words, the police in Basel had a main suspect, but the police in Zolotour didn't know about
Narrator:it.
Informant:But this was not the only such case. Vice versa, the Basel police had never heard about the important testimony the Zolotour police had collected from an architect living in Brettsville, a hamlet near Zaver.
Narrator:Speculated that car
Informant:I was walking my dog that Saturday
Narrator:Switzerland
Informant:when I noticed a black car with Basel license plates entering the nearby gravel rushing high speed.
Narrator:Well from previous
Informant:When it stopped, I went closer and hid behind some trees. I clearly remember a man getting out of the car.
Narrator:Kept the low He
Informant:looked around, but could not see me.
Narrator:Secured, employed
Informant:When everything seemed quiet, he reached for a rifle
Narrator:for a while in the car and
Informant:randomly fired several rounds. About a minute later, he packed up, got into the
Narrator:car, and sped from
Informant:the direction of Sabin.
Informant:The architect was able to give a detailed description of the man that very much fitted Mario, but the investigators never followed up on this testimony. Although the times of his observations corresponded time wise quite precisely, his observations were apparently not given much importance. He always had the feeling that he wasn't being taken seriously. All of this made perfect sense. Mario owned a blue car with Basel license plates.
Informant:The drive from the gravel pit to Sabin takes 5 minutes. He must have parked the car somewhere and walked a short distance to the cabin, waiting for Eugene to arrive. He was most likely in the company of Johnny who knew where the cabin was located and knew how to get there, let alone where to hide the car.
Narrator:So now we have an entirely new lead suggesting that Mario and Johnny might have been involved in the crime. Was on the verge of the prosecution. But with the case having gone cold, they saw no need to act. As a result, nothing came of the informant's account. Other than that he ended up being sued by Mario, who gave multiple interviews to the press, vigorously refuting the claims.
Narrator:Mario admitted that he had lived in Basel at the time and frequented the restaurant about 3 times a week. But he insisted he'd never owned a Winchester rifle, and he had never met a stranger from Sollerthorn. He was adamant that he had nothing to do with the case whatsoever. Despite his denial, the informant's written account casts an intriguing new light on an old mystery, suggesting the possibility of a third individual involved alongside the known suspects, Dozer and Johnny. When I finally spoke to my informant by phone, he explained that the story was entirely true.
Narrator:Except for one detail he had intentionally altered. The part about Mario showing him the Winchester rifle didn't actually happen at the restaurant, but rather at Mario's apartment in Basel. And Mario hadn't shown him the rifle in his car, but in the basement of his house. He had changed this detail out of respect for Mario's wife to avoid implicating her in any way. But the rest, he insisted, was the absolute truth.
Narrator:We decided to ask a friend who lived nearby to help us I then asked him if the Winchester shortened already. Without hesitation, he replied that it was indeed in its original state. He explained that if it had been altered and shortened, he would have recognized it immediately when its image was published in the newspapers. I then confronted him with one last question. Assuming Mario and Johnny had committed to crime with Doose's rifle, how did he explain that the Winchester ended up with Doose hidden at his mother's place?
Narrator:His theory was that Dozer hadn't disappeared, but had been killed by Mario and Johnnie. After disposing of the body, they found his passport and keys to his mother's apartment. In an effort to deflect suspicion on to Dozer, they hid the murder weapon at his mother's residence. To me, this sounded farfetched. If they really had killed Dozer, why go through the trouble of hiding the weapon in such a risky way?
Narrator:Why not simply dispose of it? Maybe he reached The feedback they wanted to frame Dozer. The press But now let's take a closer look at the architect's testimony. Resemblance to the man There too are a few points that in my opinion don't really add up absolute certainty. That at least warrant close scrutiny.
Narrator:1 of our team traveled to Could the architect really identify the facade of Winchester from such a distance? House? 2. For him. If Mario and Johnny went to the cabin together, why did the architect only see 1 person?
Narrator:And finally, if they had Mario's car with them, why would they use the victim's car to escape? Heart pounding, the journalist Questions over questions that remain unanswered. Heart pounding, the journalist approached them asking for directions. The man froze for a moment, then turned around To further complicate matters, an old but significant testimony recently surfaced. Our suspect.
Narrator:And it was a credible at his height A local woman and neighbor had reported an unusual observation to investigators already in 1976, but had asked them to keep it confidential. Disheartened She claimed to have seen a gnome like figure near the cabin in Saven on the very day of the murders. The police honored her request keeping this detail out of the press entirely. Yet she was so fearful of potential repercussions that the investigators placed her under police protection for weeks. If her account is accurate, it would certainly lend more weight to the Mario and Johnny theory.
Narrator:In addition to this testimony and Norman's theory discussed in the previous episode, 2 more theories have emerged over the years. One prominent theory centers on the murders and far right political ties, even connecting to remnants of the Nazi regime. Evidence suggests that Karl's father, Arnold Dozer, along with Anna West Heuser and especially her German husband, were sympathetic to the Nazis during World War 2. This theory gained temporary traction in 1919 just after the fall of the Berlin Wall when the body of an unidentified individual was found outside Berlin dressed in the East German National People's Army training suit and wearing an expensive Swiss watch. An informant claimed that this was Karl Dozer.
Narrator:But, apparently, DNA analysis later this proved the identification. Nevertheless, many theories suggest that Karl's father, Arnold, may have had an indirect role in this case. These theories gained traction after Nazi memorabilia was discovered in Idner Westhuys's villa, alongside the notorious letter signed by Adolf Hitler found in the kitchen together with the rifle and Karl's expired passport. After the war, Arnold Doerr was accused of espionage. During World War 2, he operated a transmitter, sending information to the Germans.
Narrator:Evidence of his illegal activities was compounded by his refusal to surrender this self constructed device to the authorities. None of these During the search of his home, items such as speeches by Hitler and Goring and other propaganda materials were confiscated.
Informant:And they
Narrator:While this fueled suspicions of espionage, no formal proof was ever established. Even today, some believe the crime may have had political motivations. Yet even if Arnold had these connections, it doesn't explain why his son, Carl, would have been involved in this conspiracy to murder Eugene Zigris, who, as far as we know, had no known connections or sympathies towards the Nazi regime. Another theory speculates about a link to industrial espionage as Eugene Siegrist worked for a Swiss multinational chemical company. But like the previous theory, this speculation lacks concrete evidence.
Narrator:I showed him these photographs. He insisted he had never seen It is because of these many conflicting theories that the mystery of the Sabin murders remains an industry. Discovery of the wallets may not be against you. Any hope of resolution has faded over the years. Making the massacre at Sabin the most significant unsolved crime in Switzerland to this day.
Narrator:Is it anyone While a faint possibility of political or industrial motives remains, it seems more likely that the reason lay in personal animosity and the secret that Eugene Sigrist kept to himself. What was the motive? One thing, however, is certain. Why is the Carldoser is involved in the crime one way or the other. Keys to the cabin.
Narrator:But where is he? Where are the keys to your Today, he would be 78 years old. Did the perpetrator hide the that the perpetrator hide the And until Carldoser is found, the unsolved slaughter near the quiet village of Saven will remain a brutal, bloody stain on the picturesque Swiss countryside. And this is usually where most accounts of the Savin' Murder mystery end.
Informant:Where
Narrator:did Eugene go? But not this one. Where did he meet during his repeated absences? And most of all, where is Carl Dozy? In late 2024, the release of this final episode was delayed due to a startling new development.
Narrator:I received an email from an independent journalist and her colleague, both of whom had spent months investigating the case. One of them had made a truly sensational discovery and agreed to share it with me and the discovery and agreed to share it with me on the condition that I wouldn't interfere with her ongoing investigation. For this reason, my description here remains limited. Before every murder. But here is what we agreed upon.
Narrator:Through countless hours of online research, she had been tirelessly tracking potential leads with a special focus on the key figure of the mystery. Carlos is a single faithful moment. Then one day, she stumbled upon something remarkable. On the website of a well known German industrial company with branches in Africa, she found a copy of an
Informant:official document
Narrator:buried in the company's archives. Document buried in the company's archives. It was signed in Mannheim, Germany on January 23, 2003 by 2 employees. One of the 2 men that signed this document was a mister Doose. This discovery alone was already thrilling, but it became even more startling when she noticed the typewritten birth date beneath the name.
Narrator:August 8, 1947. The exact birth date of our main suspect, Cardozer, could she have found him at last? Could he have spent decades in hiding only to quietly resurface in Europe once he thought it was safe again? The coincidence was electrifying. After all, what were the chances of 2 men named Dozer sharing the exact same birth date?
Narrator:Together we pursued this lead, and after months of investigation we tracked down a Mr. Dozer, born on August 8, 1947, now living in a village in Germany close to Mannheim. We then discussed how best to proceed to verify whether this mister Dozer was, in fact, our Carldoser. The truth of the 7 murders may remain We speculated that Carldoser, after the murders, had fled Switzerland and somehow made it to Africa, a region he knew well from previous travels. He then changed his first name, kept a low profile and eventually secured employment with a German company.
Narrator:Easy for him since he spoke German. He likely returned to Europe after the 30 year statute of limitation expired, believing it was now safe. To learn more, we tried to contact the cosignatory of the document. However, he couldn't be located. Still, we felt it was highly likely that Mr.
Narrator:Dozer, now living in Germany, was the same Mr. Dozer who had signed the document. We absolutely had to see and confront this man. The entire situation was on the verge of becoming a sensation. But before we could make any real progress, the story leaked to a Swiss news paper, and then, before we could proceed with any further investigative steps, a journalist made the rash decision to call our suspect by phone.
Narrator:Without so
Informant:much as introducing himself or asking a single question, the suspect hung. But how did we
Narrator:get a a single question, the suspect hanged. We knew this call could have put the man well believed to be Carl Dozer on high alert, but his immediate hang up only seemed more suspicious. Before heading to Germany ourselves to confront our suspect, or at the very least to see if he resembled Cardoza, we decided to ask a friend who lived near by to help us investigate discreetly. From this we learned that the man lived alone, kept mostly to himself, and was active at the local tennis club. So we decided to contact the club's president, sending him both a 1976 photograph of car dozer and an age projected image.
Narrator:The feedback was disappointing. The president reported that the dozer he knew bore no resemblance to the man in our photos at all. Still we needed absolute certainty. Now, late that spring, one of our team traveled to the German village personally. She parked near Those's house, waiting for him to emerge.
Narrator:And on a Saturday morning, a man in his seventies came out, accompanied by a woman. With her heart pounding, the journalist approached them, asking for directions. The man froze for a moment, then turned round to respond. But he looked nothing like our suspect. Neither his height, appearance, nor accent matched in the slightest.
Narrator:This heartened we reluctantly put this lead on ice. Though a small chance remains that this man wasn't Mr. Dozer, since the journalist hadn't addressed him by his name. But realistically the chances are very slim. The Savin murders continue to stir many questions.
Narrator:One unsolved mystery is a cigarillo but found near the cabin. A detail the police guarded with unusual secrecy. None of the victims smoked. Did the killer drop it while laying in wait? Or was it left there by a careless investigator?
Narrator:Another enigma lies in a black and white photograph I discovered in the archives of an independent photographer working for Keystone at the time. Taken on June 13th, the series, documents, the police as they searched the area near the cabin, including the site where Eugene Siegrist's car was abandoned. Most of the photos show search efforts in the forest, but 2 in particular caught my attention. One shows a police diver emerging from the water, handing a dark bag like object to a colleague crouched on the riverbank. The other is a close-up of 5 soaking wet leather wallets laid out on the riverbank.
Narrator:Alongside these, there is a photo of tire tracks in the woods. None of these images had been published before and they are now exclusively available on our website. Given that the only water source along the escape route is the river Beers where Sigrid's car was found, it's quite logical to assume that these items, the wallets, belonged to the victims and were discarded by the killer. The police likely knew more but they have chosen not to share their findings with the public. But what really puzzled me was the response of the lead investigator, Mark Ziecki, when I showed him these photographs.
Narrator:He insisted he had never seen them before. How could that be? The discovery of the wallets may not be a game changer, but it's another instance suggesting that this investigation was far from thorough and professional. Is it any wonder then that the police remain unable to answer the critical questions that haunt this case to this day. What was the motive?
Narrator:Why did none of the victims try to escape? Where are the keys to the cabin? Where are the keys to Eugene's car? Why did the perpetrator hide the weapon instead of disposing it? Who is Claire or Clara and the recipient of Eugene's last letter?
Narrator:Where did Eugene go, and whom did he meet during his repeated absences? And most of all, where is Karl Dozer? Before every murder, premeditated or not, an intricate web of people and circumstances comes together, converging in a single faithful moment. It is the investigator's task to entangle this web, to illuminate each hidden connection, and to unravel precisely how these forces collided in the instant of death. Over the course of my investigations I have spoken with countless people.
Narrator:Some still cling to the hope that the case might one day be solved, while others, for reasons of their own, would prefer it left untouched. I respect those who chose silence. But those who did speak did so out of a conviction, that this mystery, and those lost to it, should not fade into oblivion. Unsolved cases like this one leave a haunting unanswered question for forever largely in our minds about what truly happened on a particular day. The truth of the 7 murders may remain forever elusive.
Narrator:It is that uncertainty that has made it the most haunting, perplexing, unsolved case in Swiss criminal history. And the only way to uncover the truth is to locate Karl Doer. If he is still alive, and it's entirely possible, he would be 70 years old today and could be living anywhere in the world. Using his 1976 portrait, we've employed advanced AI technology to create an age depiction of what he might look like today. Now, please do visit our website at swissmurdermysteries.com and take a moment to view the image.
Narrator:Does he seem familiar? Could he be your neighbor, with a friendly shopkeeper down the street, or an acquaintance from long ago? And while on the website, please do consider making a small donation. It would be very much appreciated. Every dollar makes a difference and helps me to research and share the next little known, yet equally captivating and exciting Swiss murder mystery with you.
Narrator:Thank you for your support and loyalty. This was a new hot lead, the final episode of the 7 murder mystery, an investigative true crime podcast as part of the Swiss Murder Mysteries podcast series by Playground Media Productions. This podcast is available on Apple Podcasts or any platform of your convenience.
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