Alpine Evidence

After months without a suspect, the investigation takes a different direction.Not through the crime scene—but through patterns, movement, and data.In this episode, we follow the breakthrough that leads investigators to the person responsible.Ressources: ⁠https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/vierfachmord-von-rupperswil⁠⁠https://www.aargauerzeitung.ch/aargau/lenzburg/vierfachmord-von-rupperswil-der-fall-im-ueberblick-ld.1541806⁠⁠https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/rupperswil-der-vierfachmord-und-seine-folgen-ld.1366873⁠⁠https://www.watson.ch/schweiz/justiz/642154384-rupperswil-der-vierfachmord-und-was-man-daraus-gelernt-hat⁠⁠https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/schweiz-vierfachmord-von-rupperswil-taeter-zu-lebenslang-verurteilt-a-1200283.html⁠

A quiet Swiss village.A house fire just days before Christmas.What first appears to be an accident quickly turns into something far more complex.In this episode, we examine the scene, the evidence,and the unanswered questions that defined the early investigation.Ressources: https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/vierfachmord-von-rupperswilhttps://www.aargauerzeitung.ch/aargau/lenzburg/vierfachmord-von-rupperswil-der-fall-im-ueberblick-ld.1541806https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/rupperswil-der-vierfachmord-und-seine-folgen-ld.1366873https://www.watson.ch/schweiz/justiz/642154384-rupperswil-der-vierfachmord-und-was-man-daraus-gelernt-hathttps://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/schweiz-vierfachmord-von-rupperswil-taeter-zu-lebenslang-verurteilt-a-1200283.html

A 15-year-old girl disappears on a Monday morning in Berlin.Her last known location is clear.The timeline is narrow.The investigation is extensive.And yet—there is no definitive answer.In this episode of Alpine Evidence, we examine the disappearance of Rebecca Reusch through a forensic lens.Not to speculate—but to understand how a case can move close to a conclusion without ever reaching the point of proof.This is a story about absence, about the limits of evidence,and about what happens when suspicion is not enough.Ressources:https://www.berlin.de/polizei/polizeimeldungen/pressemitteilung.786693.phphttps://www.berlin.de/polizei/polizeimeldungen/pressemitteilung.789859.phphttps://www.berlin.de/polizei/polizeimeldungen/pressemitteilung.792345.phphttps://www.berlin.de/polizei/polizeimeldungen/pressemitteilung.1309825.phphttps://www.berliner-zeitung.de/news/rebecca-reusch-aus-berlin-seit-fuenf-jahren-vermisst-li.2188350https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/rebecca-reusch-vermisst-der-stand-der-ermittlungen-5352671.htmlhttps://www.rbb24.de/panorama/beitrag/2024/02/berlin-rebecca-reusch-vermisst-jahrestag-ermittlungen.htmlhttps://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/rebecca-reusch-der-fall-und-die-offenen-fragen-a-1257393.html

In this special episode of Alpine Evidence, I’m joined by former FBI agent Scott Duffy.During his career, he worked on fugitive investigations, interviewed suspects, and was involved in the investigation of the September 11 attacks.In this conversation, we discuss how investigations are conducted, what it means to work within the FBI, and how different systems approach crime and evidence.This episode also marks a first for Alpine Evidence — it is available not only as audio, but also as a video.

In this episode of Alpine Evidence, I take you behind the scenes of a real investigation.As a forensic scientist, I developed a method that was later applied in collaboration with the cantonal police to support a criminal case.This episode explores how forensic ideas move from theory into practice — and what it means when a method is tested in a real investigation.My Publication:⁠(PDF) "Total Human DNA Sampling" -Forensic DNA profiles from large areas⁠

In the early 1990s, Austria believed in a remarkable story of rehabilitation. A convicted murderer had become a celebrated writer and public figure after years in prison.But as women began to disappear across Europe, investigators started to notice a disturbing pattern.In this episode of Alpine Evidence, we examine the case of Jack Unterweger and how charisma, media attention, and belief in redemption nearly obscured the truth.Ressources:“Austrian Writer Held in Miami in Killing of 9 Women” – The New York Times (1992)https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/28/world/austrian-writer-held-in-miami-in-killing-of-9-women.html“Austrian Writer Convicted of Killing 9 Prostitutes” – The New York Times (1994)https://www.nytimes.com/1994/06/30/world/austrian-writer-convicted-of-killing-9-prostitutes.html“Jack Unterweger: The Serial Killer Who Fooled Austria” – BBC News Magazinehttps://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14186264“Der Fall Jack Unterweger” – Der Standard (Archivberichte und Hintergrund)https://www.derstandard.at“Der Serienmörder Jack Unterweger” – ORF Archivberichtehttps://orf.at

A quiet Swiss town.A respected police officer.Five lives lost inside a single home.In March 2010, Kehrsatz in the Canton of Bern became the center of a tragedy that raised more questions than headlines could answer.There was no unknown intruder.No dramatic manhunt.The forensic evidence was clear.So why did this case spark a national debate about firearms, institutional responsibility, and prevention?In this first episode of Alpine Evidence, we reconstruct the sequence of events and explore the psychological and systemic factors that can turn private crisis into irreversible catastrophe.Because sometimes the most unsettling cases are not the ones with missing suspects —but the ones that unfold quietly.Ressources:Kantonspolizei Bern – Medienmitteilungen(Archiv / Medienbereich)https://www.police.be.chhttps://www.derbund.chhttps://www.bernerzeitung.chhttps://www.nzz.chDer Bund (Berichterstattung 2010)Berner Zeitung (Archiv)Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) – Fallberichte & HintergrundFamily Annihilation / Familicide ResearchLiem, M., & Koenraadt, F. (2008). Familicide: A comparison with spousal and child homicide.PubMed:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18686096/Wilson, M., Daly, M. (1997). Familicide: The killing of spouse and children.JSTOR:https://www.jstor.org/stable/3037381Means Restriction / Access to Firearms & SuicideHarvard T.H. Chan – Means Matter Projecthttps://www.hsph.harvard.edu/means-matter/World Health Organization – Suicide Prevention Reportshttps://www.who.int/health-topics/suicideSwiss firearm suicide research (Ajdacic-Gross et al.)Example overview:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16081220/Violanti, J.M. et al. – Police Suicide Researchhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28513469/International Association of Chiefs of Police – Officer Safety & Wellnesshttps://www.theiacp.org/resources/officer-safety-and-wellnessSwiss Federal Office of Police (fedpol)https://www.fedpol.admin.chSwiss Federal Statistical Office (Crime & Suicide Data)https://www.bfs.admin.chPolice Mental Health & Suicide🇨🇭 Swiss Firearm Policy Context

In this introductory episode, I explain why criminal cases from Germany, Austria and Switzerland rarely reach an international audience — and why they deserve closer examination.As a Swiss forensic scientist specializing in forensic methodology, I share the origins of this podcast and how evidence, legal systems, and cultural context shape criminal investigations in Central Europe.