7. Pickled Long Pig
What most shocked police about Karl Denke’s house was the kitchen. There, they found two large tubs, containing meat pickling in brine. The meat was attached to human bones, and by tallying the various bits, investigators estimated the Papa Denke had been in the process of pickling up to thirty victims. Police also found a notebook, in which Denke had listed the names of many more victims, with the dates of their murders going back to 1921, plus the weight of their pickled bodies.
Investigators did not get the opportunity to grill Denke about his motives: during his first night in prison, he used a handkerchief to hang himself in his cell. However, evidence gathered revealed that he ate his victims. He also disposed of their meat by feeding it to guests, jarring it and selling it as pickled pork, or giving jars of the “pickled pork” to his neighbors as gifts.
