Swiss Murder Mysteries

On Saturday, July 31, 1982, at a quarter to 12, a father, mother, and their 2 sons, 14 8 years old, get in their car, a dark blue Toyota crown, and drive off to a family lunch in a nearby restaurant. They leave their house and family business. A medium sized sawmill in the hamlet of Kobelwies in the Swiss canton of St Gallen, and drive the short distance along the gravel truck until they reach the main road. There, they turn left. The setting is typical.

Tranquil and quaint. Lush green pastures are dotted with farmhouses and grazing cows. It is not a bright and sunny day, but rather gray with some early morning mist still lingering over the fields because it had been raining during the night. It is shortly before noon when the family reaches the nearby crossroads, only about 500 meters from their home. As they do, the father has to brake abruptly and veer off to the left so as to avoid hitting 2 teenage girls absentmindedly standing with their bicycles in the middle of the intersection.

He curses, and the family briefly discusses the incident but, of course, continues straight on towards the destination. As the car disappears in the distance, so do the 2 girls, because it was the last time they were seen alive. My name is Rudolf Fisler, and this is The Disappearance, episode 1 of The Crystal Cave Murders, An investigative true crime podcast by Playground Media Productions. And just as a reminder, all interviews were recorded in German and translated into English. All voiceovers were done by people that are not related to the case.

All individuals mentioned in the podcast must be considered innocent and cannot be prosecuted or convicted as the 30 year statute of limitations for murder in Switzerland was reached in 2012. The presumption of innocence applies. In the first episode, we will look at the days prior to the girl's disappearance. Who are they? And what led them to their summer bicycle adventure and everything that happened during the 3 days of their bicycle trip, be it in connection to their later disappearance or not.

We will put ourselves in their shoes when it comes to making the decision regarding the route that led them to the crossroads where they were last seen alive. But now let us go back to the beginning. The year is 1982. Karen Gattiker and Brigitte Mayer live with their parents in the municipality of Goldach, a small community in the northeastern part of Switzerland. The village, with its approximately 7,000 inhabitants in 1982, is not known for much else than being located between its 2 larger and more important neighboring cities, Saint Colin, the Canton's capital to the southwest, and Rorschach, situated nearby on Lake Constance that also borders Germany and Austria.

If the name Rorschach sounds familiar to you, it may be because you have heard of it in the context of psychology. The Rorschach test, being an internationally recognized projective psychological test invented by Swiss psychologist, Hermann Rorschach, in 1921, in which a subject's perception of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation. But be that as it may be, other than its name, the test, the inventor, and the town have nothing in common at all. Goldach was once a minor industrial town, but transformed into a preferred residential community in the mid seventies. Then, as today, the village does not have much to offer, but, on the other hand, is well integrated into the public transport system and connected to Saint Colin by the freeway.

Back in 1982, Karin is 15 years old and attending high school. She is a quiet, pretty girl with dark, blonde, short hair and a slim figure, wanting to become a doctor's assistant. Karin loves animals and playing handball. She is not shy but cautious and somewhat reserved. Yet she is curious by nature and gets along with just about anybody.

Her best friend Brigitte on the contrary, is 17 years old and doing a commercial apprenticeship. She has dark hair, is easygoing, boisterous, and maybe somewhat of a teenage rebel at the time and not quite as reserved as her friend. Bridget, being 2 years older than Karen, also appears and looks much less girlish and more like a young woman already. In the summer of 1982, Karen and Bridget, along with some other girls and boys from the village, came up with the idea of going on a bicycle trip through the cantons of Saint Gallen and Appenzell. One of the group, now a woman in her late fifties, recalls the days very well.

It was a beautiful summer, and most of us were on holidays. We came together almost daily enjoying our free time and trying to figure out what to do. Being teenagers, we were in the mood for some type of adventure. We just wanted to do something more exciting than to stay home, go swimming in the lake, or watch a movie in the local cinema. So one of us came up with the idea of a bicycle tour, not a really long or difficult one, but still, you know, at least something different.

I think getting away from home and the parents was more important than anything else. In the beginning, there was maybe 4 or 5 of us. We were all really excited and couldn't wait to leave. But then some parents must have heard about our plans. Many thought we were too young for such a trip and did not allow the children to take part.

So did my parents. I was very annoyed at the time, let me tell you. I was totally upset and mad at them. Today, however, I look at things somewhat differently.

Not so, Karen and Bridget. Somehow they managed to convince their parents and received permission to go on the tour under one condition, that they call home every evening. So on the morning of Thursday, July 29th, Karen and Bridget prepared their bicycles, packed their belongings, attached saddle and sleeping bags, and finally embarked on their long awaited adventure. They headed southwest, cycled through the city of Saint Gallen, and reached their first destination, the home of Karen's grandmother in Herisau, around midday. She was expecting them because she had been notified of their trip ahead of time and prepared a warm lunch.

During lunch, the girls talked about their bike adventure so far and casually mentioned having met a very friendly man that agreed to take their picture using Karen's pocket camera. After lunch they bade farewell to Karen's grandmother and continued the tour towards Schwende near Appenzild, which, depending on the route, is more or less 20 kilometers away. There they had a reservation for 2 nights at the local youth hostel. As planned, they arrived in the evening and rang Karen's parents to say that everything went according to plan and that they had reached the youth hostel. Bear in mind, this was a time prior to everybody carrying a cell phone.

They spent exploring the vicinity with their bicycles. Several witnesses later confirmed having seen them camping on the banks of the River Sitter, cooking, and apparently washing clothes. In the evening, they returned to the youth hostel where they spent the second night. On Saturday morning, July 31st, the final day of their journey, after having had a light breakfast, the girls must have been undecided about the best route towards their hometown, a driving distance of roughly 40 kilometers. They had most likely planned to take the main road across the Storrs Pass, but inquire that the keeper of the youth hostel for an alternative.

The lady then must have suggested a different route, with less traffic, also leading to the Rhine valley just somewhat further south. Once having reached the plains, all they had to do was to head north, following the River Rhine, to Lake Constance, and then head west towards their home town. She handed the girls a map of the region, which Karen folded up and slid in the back pocket of her jeans. The route the woman suggested was more of a scenic road, with a moderate climb to the village of Egerstranden, followed by a long descent towards the Rhine Valley. It is a gray overcast morning when they leave the youth hostel around 10 o'clock.

From there to the village of Ekerstanden, there were, and actually still are, 2 separate roads about 500 meters apart, but always in clear view of one another as they both run straight and parallel through the gently modulated hillside, the one further to the left being the main road for motor cars and through traffic, whereas the one the girls decided on is a narrow country road, mostly used by farmers and locals. The other important difference is that the country road leads right into the center of the village, whereas the main road approaches the village from further west. If they had taken this road they would have reached a junction with a signpost pointing towards the Rhine valley just outside the village, and probably turned left at that point. But since they took the country road, they never even passed by that junction and ended up right in the center of the village by the church. There was much speculation by investigators and the press about which route they took that day.

But, because of the reason just explained, I am very much convinced that it must have been the narrow country road and that after 6 kilometers, or approximately 40 minutes, they reached the intersection by the church in Egerstanden. From there, they went straight on. Turning left at this point to get back to the main road and the junction would not have made much sense. For a better understanding and overview of the geographical situation, I urge you to visit our website at thecrystalcavemurders.com. There, we have posted a map and even a video showing the highlighted route from the youth hostel to Egerstanden and on to the crossroads.

In 2,020, Alex Peterman, a German profiler of whom we hear more in a later episode, quite accidentally stumbled upon 2 brand new witnesses while doing research in the area for this case. These 2, then boys of 14 years, had apparently seen Karen and Bridget 38 years ago in the village, wearing red windbreaker jackets and, oddly, not riding, but pushing their bicycles just around 10:30. Oddly, because the terrain in the village is very much flat. So why were they pushing the bicycles? Were they exhausted from the climb, or did the bicycle have a defect?

Hardly. Because, if so, they would not have continued their ride but looked for a repair shop in the village. Asked why they did not report their observation back in 1982, when everybody talked about it, they explained that they were only teenagers back then, not thinking the observation was of importance. As incomprehensible this may sound, it is quite often the case that witnesses only reveal important observations when being directly confronted and questioned about them. But let us concentrate on, and return to, the girls' travel itinerary.

Be it on purpose or by mistake, the girls must have continued straight on, simply because there was no alternative route for them to reach the intersection within the given time frame. The country road that the girls follow leads out of the village to the east, again separating green pastures for about 2 kilometers. Shortly after reaching its highest elevation, the asphalt road transforms into a gravel track and leads into the dense and dark forest. It descends evenly for more or less 7 kilometers, and after a few bends emerges from the forest at a crossroads. 0.450 on the map, offering a clear and impressive view of the plain countryside with the meandering River Rhine in the distance.

Mind you, just about 2 kilometers before emerging from the woods at the crossroads, the gravel road passes by a small parking area in the middle of the forest called the Fox Place. From there an even narrower but still drivable forest track leads to the nearby crystal caves. At that time not much more than an attraction for insiders, cave explorers, occasional tourists and school classes on a field trip. Having reached that point and that is important the girls must have either missed this junction if they intended to visit the crystal caves, or ignored it because it was never their intention to go see them. I drove the route from the youth hostel to the intersection several times.

It is a distance of 15 kilometers, which, considering the elevation profile, the terrain, and taking into account the weight of the equipment, results in a riding time of roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes. And that is without taking a break to put on a jacket, consulting the map, or having a bite to eat, let alone to cover any given distance by pushing the bike. Therefore, having left the youth hostel at around 10, as the lady testified, it seems very plausible that they indeed reached the crossroads shortly before noon. In that context, it is also important to mention that all 4 roads leading to the intersection are country roads, and no matter from where you approach, with exception of the road emerging from the forest maybe, offer a clear and obstructed view of the crossroads. Even today, but especially 1982, there was not much traffic, and you can stand there for several minutes without the car passing by.

But whatever road they took, and for whatever reason, one thing is certain. It must have led them to the crossroads because shortly before 12 o'clock, the family mentioned in the beginning approaches them in their dark blue Toyota crown. During my research, I located the lady that was sitting in the passenger seat. And I had the pleasure to contact the now 78 year old woman, and she kindly agreed to meet me and recount her observation for the umpteenth time.

It was precisely a quarter to noon when we left our home. I remember it very well because I was standing in the kitchen looking at the clock on the wall while my husband was already waiting in the car outside. He was at the wheel as usual, and the boy sat in the back. I do remember my husband stepping on the brakes abruptly when we noticed 2 girls standing in the middle of the crossroads. It appeared that they were lost.

I think they were studying the road signs trying to determine their location. Certainly, one of them was wearing a bright red windbreaker jacket. But then again, it was not something special. I mean, seeing 2 girls with bicycles wasn't something spectacular. So we continued our ride straight on towards Eichberg and then towards Geist where we were to meet our friends.

This, her testimony, as it happens, became one of the more important aspects in relation to the case, Not so much because of its content, as the woman always remained true as to the time, location, and other details, but in connection with something else that surfaced while I was doing my research, something that still puzzles me to this very day. But we will address this in a later episode and concentrate on the events following their encounter. So while the family reached their destination, while they were having lunch with relatives and then went for a casual hike, Noon turned into afternoon, and afternoon into a quiet, mellow summer evening. And during all these hours no single person, neither nearby the crossroads nor along the route leading to their home, ever testified to having seen the 2 girls. No farmer plowing the fields, no housewife working in the vegetable garden, no one looking out the window or walking the dog, no lorry or tractor driver, no motorist, no child, no postman, and certainly no guardian angel, for else what happened would not have happened.

The 2 girls had vanished. And as the red sun set behind Clover Fields, back home in Golduck, the parents of the diligent teenagers started to worry. When it finally turned dark and there was still no sign of their daughters, the parents called the police and reported Karen and Bridget as missing. At around the same time the same family that noticed the girls at noon approached the very same crossroads once again, And as they drove past the intersection, the mother made yet another disturbing observation.

When we returned home the same evening between 9 and 10, driving in the opposite direction this time, I noticed 2 bicycles not standing, but leaning against the trees on the right, a short distance after the crossroads. It is difficult to say just how far, but I would say certainly a good couple of meters. I did think that was somewhat odd because in those days, it was very unusual to see 2 abandoned bicycles at such a remote location and also leaning against the trees by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

A few minutes later they reached their home and everybody went to bed. The mother did not give it another thought that is, she did not until Sunday morning, when she noticed at least 1 or 2 men outside their house. She was wondering what this was all about, but did not make any connection to the observations she had made the previous night. Later that day they left by car to celebrate the national Swiss holiday with a barbecue dinner at her brother's in nearby Montlingen. Going there they had to pass by the cross roads again.

Only this time they did not notice any girls or bicycles, but some considerable commotion and the police being about. Again they wondered and assumed there must have been an accident of some sort. Still, the family did not make a connection with what they had observed the day before. When I interviewed the mother, I also met her son, then 14 and sitting in the back of the car. We went to a local restaurant and he gave me his account of the events as he remembered them of the Sunday after the girls disappeared.

I'm pretty sure that on Sunday morning, when we drove past the crossroads, the police must have already found the bicycles. I think the parents told the police that the girls spent that night at the youth hostel. So, it seems obvious that the police didn't talk to the woman there, and she told them about the route she suggested. So it must have been quite easy for them to figure out where to look. They just followed the same route and finally found the bicycles at the intersection.

Where exactly? We have no idea. All we know today is that there are 2 theories as to the exact location. According to the police, they were at the crossroads on their stands. But according to my mother's recollection, they were leaning against a tree on the roadside clearly past the intersection where we came home the night before.

On Monday, the search efforts for the girls got underway and continued for weeks. But despite extensive efforts by the police and fire brigade, as well as many villagers and other volunteers that calmed the rugged and partly almost inaccessible terrain, not a single trace of the teenagers could be found. The police brought in dogs, and divers searched the nearby ponds while the Swiss Army dispatched a helicopter. But all led to nothing. And as the search area increased day by day, so did the fears that something terrible must have occurred.

The girls simply appeared to be swallowed from the face of the earth. What exactly did happen at the crossroad that afternoon? Not long after the family drove past, around 12 o'clock? Nothing at this stage indicated a violent crime, but it was more than strange that the girl's entire travel gear was still neatly attached and seemingly untouched to the bicycle's luggage rugs. And, among its content, also Karen's pocket camera that was used by the very friendly man to take their picture 2 days earlier.

The camera was confiscated by the police and the film developed. And soon one picture was all over the news. It shows the girl standing on a green meadow next to a footpath, both wearing jeans and T shirts, both smiling, happy and carefree, Bridget tilting her head sideways, resting her elbow on Karen's shoulder. It would be a far cry from what they looked like when they were finally found. Again, under rather bizarre circumstances.

Tune into episode 2, The Search, when we will hear about more puzzling observations made by locals and how the police thought to solve the case but then had to realize that it was far more complex than anything they had ever experienced. Please also do visit our website at thechristycavemurders.com for additional information, including maps, photographs, videos, and details on how to support the makers of this podcast. My name is Rudolf Eisler, And this was The Disappearance, Episode 1 of The Crystal Cave Murders. An investigative true crime podcast brought to you by Playground Media Productions. Available on Apple Podcasts or any platform of your preference.