'Horror House' in Germany: Wife Put in Freezer, Burned, Officials Say
by ANDY ECKARDT
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BERLIN — A body was stored in the freezer at a German "horror house" where a woman who answered a newspaper singles ad was held captive and beaten before later dying, officials said Tuesday.
German media gave the dwelling the macabre moniker after a 46-year-old man and his 47-year-old ex-wife were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after allegedly subjecting a victim to weeks of physical abuse.
Identified only as Wilfried Max W. and Angelika W., the duo were arrested after a 41-year-old woman died in hospital from blunt trauma wounds to her head.
Forensic experts arriving to secure evidence at the house in Hoexter, Germany, on Monday. MARCEL KUSCH / AFP - Getty Images
Prosecutor Ralf Meyer told NBC News said Tuesday that the address in the town of Hoexter, about 50 miles southwest of Hanover, was the scene of a 2014 death.
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According to Meyer, Angelika W. told investigators that she and her ex-husband "had put the body in a freezer and later burnt the body parts in a fireplace."
Those remains belonged to another wife of Wilfried Max W. — who was identified only as 33-year-old Annika E., authorities said.
Meyer told a press conference that the torture that lead to the deaths of the two women was not driven by a sexual motive, but alleged that the pair rather "wanted to exert power" over their victims.
A police vehicle parked in front of the house in Hoexter, Germany, on Tuesday. MARCEL KUSCH / EPA
Die Welt newspaper also reported Tuesday that a police unit with 30 investigators was examining whether the pair were connected to the case of 21-year old Frauke Liebs, who disappeared in 2006. She was later found dead in a forested area but the crime has not yet been solved.