Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
In the shadow of Munich’s Old Town, where the alleyways wind like veins through the heart of the Bavarian metropolis, one of the most shocking criminal cases Germany has ever witnessed took place in 1907. In the midst of this idyllic setting, a girl of just 13 years old carried out her cruel deeds, leaving a trail of terror that deeply shook the public’s nerves. The girl was Ida Schnell, the illegitimate daughter of a deceased alcoholic labourer, who had worked as a nanny in various families. At that time, no one could have even remotely imagined the depths of depravity hidden within this young girl’s soul. Ida Schnell remained undetected until the sixth death, which finally drew the attention of the authorities. When the son of farmer Bichler from Ampermoching near Munich, aged just 14 days, suddenly died in mysterious circumstances, his body was exhumed. The post-mortem revealed that the infant had died as a result of a perforation in his still-soft skull caused by a sharp object. Ida Schnell was subsequently arrested and subjected to thorough questioning. At first, she vehemently denied having caused the baby’s death. She insisted that she was far too gentle to harm an innocent infant. However, under cross-examination, Ida eventually broke down and admitted to having killed not only this baby but also four other infants for whom she had been employed as a babysitter. She always followed the same modus operandi, driving her hairpin into the lower part of the back of the infant’s head until the baby stopped crying. When asked about her motive, Ida replied that the baby’s crying aroused an insurmountable revulsion in her. She lost all control of herself and did everything she could to make the baby finally fall silent. The following morning, Ida also confessed to a sixth murder. Ida, who was only 13 years old at the time, appeared physically well-developed for her age, but was somewhat mentally retarded. Her childhood had been marked by poverty, as her father had died young and her mother had married a day labourer with whom she did not get on well. Further investigations added to the grim toll of the Munich child murderer’s crimes. It was believed that Ida had taken the lives of at least eight, or even nine, infants whom she had looked after as a nanny. Two of the babies whose deaths she had confessed to were exhumed. However, decomposition was so advanced that a definitive cause of death could no longer be established. Ida apparently had no qualms whatsoever about killing, in a heinous manner, infants entrusted to her care. The judicial investigation against Ida was eventually concluded. Officially, six murders of babies from the Oppenheimer, Bichler, Huber, Schiener, Ritzeret and Kirrmeier families were confirmed. However, for two further infants from the Gailer and Schorch families, the post-mortem revealed causes of death that could not be attributed to Ida. Ida Schnell was eventually transferred to the district mental asylum for a psychiatric assessment lasting approximately one month. The fate of the young girl, who was capable of such repulsive acts at such a tender age, still leaves many questions unanswered to this day and casts a dark light on the depths of the human psyche.
