Lüneburg's Landeszeitung newspaper reported on Thursday that two mysterious double murders that gripped Germany in 1989 had largely been solved, primarily thanks to new DNA analysis of two hairs found at the scene.

Prosecutor Wiebke Bethke said DNA found in blood traces inside one victim's vehicle matched those of the genetic profile of the gardener, then aged 40.

A berry collector found the bodies of two couples, naked, in wooded countryside at Göhrde, near Lüneburg in Lower Saxony state in 1989. Extensive police investigations, including interviews of some 5,000 people, couldn't solve the cases at the time.

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The murders remained unsolved, despite a horse rider who noted the number plate of a speeding car that turned out to belong to one of the victims.

In August of that year, Birgit M., the wife of an executive, also went missing at Brietlingen-Moorburg, north of Lüneburg — a fifth case that could also be connected to the deceased suspect.

Brother pressed the case privately

The Landeszeitung, as well as regional public broadcaster NDR, attributed the breakthrough in part to Birgit M.'s brother, a former Hamburg investigative police chief, Wolfgang Sielaff.

At the gardener's former home in Adendorf, near Lüneburg, Sielaff got permission from the new owners for excavations.

Skeletal remains were found under a garage on the property and were quickly attributed to Birgit M. via dental forensics.

In October, Sielaff told Die Zeit newspaper that his sister's disappearance in 1989 was treated as a missing persons case until 1993 when a new prosecutor launched a murder probe.

Taken into custody in that year, the gardener hanged himself, which would have ended the investigation against him, had it not been a murder investigation.

In 2016 a new investigative team established that handcuffs found in a locked room at the gardener's former home had tiny drops of blood from Birgit M., raising the prospect that he had abducted her to demand a ransom.

Lüneburg's Landeszeitung said it was planning to publish more information on the police breakthroughs — including leads on a potential living accomplice — in follow-up articles on Thursday and the coming days.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony Lüneburg Heath One of the oldest tourist attractions is Lüneburg Heath. Starting from September, the spectacle of the lilac blooms attracts some five million tourists every year. A shepherd with a flock of docile heath-land sheep completes the picture of this pastoral idyll. A nature reserve since 1922, it is not only the oldest, but also - with 23,437 hectares - the biggest wildlife sanctuary in Lower Saxony.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony The North Sea A popular destination at the coast is the Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony, which is a UNESCO natural World Heritage Site. This tidal area is home to more than 10,000 animal and plant species. One Wadden Sea inhabitant is especially popular with visitors: the seal. To get close to these animals head to the seal house in the German Wadden Sea National Park.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony Hanover Famous landmark of the state capital is The New Town Hall. Take the unique lift, the only one in Europe with an arched course to the observation platform for a great view of the city with its narrow old town alleys, the sailing boats on the Maschsee lake and the Sprengel modern art museum. Must-see exhibits there include the colorful giant female sculptures by artist Niki de St. Phalle.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony Weser cycle path I want to ride my bicycle; I want to ride my bike! ... which you can do marvelously in Lower Saxony. Like on the Weser cycle path. It follows the river coving some 500 kilometers all the way to the North Sea Weser estuary. The route takes you past many old castles, like the one pictured. It also involves repeatedly crossing the river, sometimes by hand-operated ferry to reach the other shore.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony Hamelin, home of the pied piper Anyone visiting the Weser Uplands should definitely go to Hamelin. Many buildings in the old town center are built in the Weser renaissance style, a northern German version of the Italian architecture. Yet the town is best known the world over for the folk tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin describing the disappearance of city's children. A tale translated into more than 30 different languages.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony World Heritage in Goslar The Rammelsberg mine in Goslar is one of the world's oldest ore extraction sites. Here at the foot of the Harz mountains, ore was mined for over 1000 years. The power for the mining work was won from a complex system of water ditches and reservoirs, including one of the oldest dams in Europe. The Rammelsberg mine and the old town center of Goslar are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony St Mary's Cathedral in Hildesheim St. Mary's Cathedral and St. Michael's Church in Hildesheim are also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Hildesheim was first mentioned in official records 1,200 years ago. According to legend, Emperor Louis the Pious is said to have experienced a divine miracle here and founded St. Mary's Cathedral on the site as a way of giving thanks.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony Bückeburg riding school Lower Saxony is horse country. The noble animal has adorned the northern German state's coat of arms since 1946. It is little surprise then that this is where you find Germany's only princely school of dressage at Bückeburg Castle. The stables in this 17th century building are home to horses of the still existing baroque breeds for dressage.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony Car city Wolfsburg If its horsepower under the bonnet you are after then head to the VW factory in Wolfsburg, one of Germany's newest towns. It was created for the VW car factory workers in 1938. Vehicles are still produced here. A walk through the town also gives you an insight into the history and the future of car making.

10 reasons to love Lower Saxony Roman battles relived In the year 9 AD Germanic leader Arminius lured Roman forces led by Varus into an ambush resulting in the death of 20,000 Roman soldiers. To this day it is still unknown where exactly this famous battle of the Teutoburg Forest took place. One possible site is Kalkriese village north of Osnabrück. Reason enough to open an archaeological museum there, where battles are re-enacted. Author: Frederike Müller



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