Adolf Seefeldt: Germany’s “Uncle Tick-Tock” Serial Killer of Children

Adolf Seefeldt, known as “Uncle Tick-Tock,” was a German serial killer who murdered young boys while posing as a harmless traveling watch repairman. Adolf Seefeldt was born on the 6th of March 1870 in the city of Potsdam, then part of the North German Confederation. He was the youngest of nine children and grew up in a deeply troubled household. To make a living, Seefeldt repaired watches for people. In 1890, he moved to the northern German city of Lübeck, where he married Katharina and started a family. However, the marriage ended in divorce after just over a year, since Seefeldt was emotionally unstable. One of his sons, at the age of nineteen, was later committed to a lunatic asylum for what were then called moral crimes - a grim reflection of Seefeldt’s own life. Seefeldt had no permanent home. He wandered through northern Germany, offering watch repairs to villagers. Because of his age, quiet manner, and appearance - an old man in a long coat and felt hat - people saw him as harmless. Children even gave him a nickname: "Uncle Tick-Tock". But behind this friendly image was a man who carefully planned his crimes. His crimes went unnoticed at first, and many of the deaths occurred in autumn and winter. Police often assumed the children had run away, gotten lost in the forest, and died from cold or hunger. Only when several bodies were found under similar conditions did police begin to suspect that a serial killer might be involved.By that time, Seefeldt had already murdered boys across several towns. It is estimated he killed as many as 100 children, although only twelve murders could be proven. All of the victims were boys under the age of twelve. The youngest was just four years old. One important discovery came when the body of 11-year-old Gustav Thomas was found in a forest near the town of Wittenberge. An autopsy showed signs of suffocation. Investigators then believed that Seefeldt had most likely strangled his victims.This episode is part of the series Serial Killers of the 20th Century.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv