After killing spree in Austria: Double murderer found dead in the forest

Rohrbach - Hunter Roland D. (†56) took the lives of two people with targeted shots to the head . The double murderer has now been found dead in the forest.

The police had already tracked down the hunter's getaway car on Friday.
The police had already tracked down the hunter's getaway car on Friday.  © Fotokerschi/Franz Plechinger/APA/dpa

Austrian media reported, citing police sources, that the gunman shot himself.

On Friday morning, a walker found the perpetrator's getaway car in a wooded area near Partenreit in the district of Rohrbach - not far from the place where Drexler murdered the two people.

The witness then alerted the police, who combed the area with 250 officers. Dogs, thermal imaging cameras and drones were also used.

The 56-year-old was eventually found dead in the forest. The police are assuming suicide.

Drexler is said to have been traveling with two long guns and a handgun. He was considered a "ticking time bomb" and "very dangerous".

In the search for the perpetrator, numerous police officers combed through empty buildings, huts and sheds.
In the search for the perpetrator, numerous police officers combed through empty buildings, huts and sheds.  © Fotokerschi/Franz Plechinger/APA/dpa
Armored vehicles, sniffer dogs and drones were also deployed during the feverish search.
Armored vehicles, sniffer dogs and drones were also deployed during the feverish search.  © Fotokerschi/Franz Plechinger/APA/dpa

Hunting dispute apparently the reason for double murder

There was no trace of Drexler for several days. On Monday morning, he killed the 64-year-old mayor of Kirchberg ob der Donau, Franz Hofer, outside a pedicure salon and shortly afterwards the retired police officer Josef H. (†64) in his house.

According to the police, the background to the crime is likely to have been hunting disputes.

TAG24 does not normally report on suicides. However, as the investigation into this case was in full swing, the editorial team decided to report on it after all.

If you are affected by suicidal thoughts yourself, you can contact the telephone counseling service around the clock, anonymously of course. Telephone counseling: 08001110111 or 08001110222 or 08001110116123.