'Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier': The true story behind her vanishing
Over the years, Netflix has released some scintillating and bone-chilling documentaries and the latest one in the offing is titled 'Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier'. The series follows the mysterious disappearance of a 40-year-old Meier from her Breitling apartment and it has been 31 years since the case saw any definitive conclusion.
The official synopsis of the series reads: "Birgit Meier disappears, but the police have other concerns. Only Wolfgang Sielaff - her brother and himself a police detective - suspects that she is the victim of a brutal crime. The search of a suspect's house brings some gruesome things to light." According to The Sun, Meier was a photographer and was married to Harald, a successful entrepreneur.
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He was one of the key suspects before being ruled out. Lack of evidence and concrete leads saw the case go cold. However, there were quite a few details that emerged during the investigation. Meier was going through a divorce and Harald was meant to show up to clarify details about their split during the evening of her disappearance. It was agreed that she should receive 500,000 DM as a settlement from her husband.
When did Birgit Meier disappear?
Meier vanished into thin air on August 14, 1989 from Lüneburg, Germany. The case saw the light only after 28 years when her brother, Wolfgang Sielaff, a policeman began search on his own terms. Her remains were discovered in 2017 under the concrete floor of a garage in a house located in the outskirts of Lüneburg. Autopsy reports revealed that she was shot and the police president, Robert Kruse stated that the murderer was a serial killer whose work would have "seen past Germany".
Prior to the discovery, the authorities were under the impression that Meier has committed suicide or was killed by Harald until they began investigating the gardener, Kurt-Werner Wichmann. It was under the garage of his house that her remains were unearthed. It was reported that she and Wichmann had met at a birthday party weeks before she disappeared, but he was never questioned.
Although she disappeared in '89, police found more details and alarming discoveries when they searched his house to find weapons, sedatives, and a torture room. With the attention on him, the green-thumb suspect hung himself while in police custody.
The Netflix documentary comprises of four episodes and is streaming on Netflix.