Doctor in Schleswig-Holstein: Investigated for suspected patient killings!

Doctor in Schleswig-Holstein: Investigated for suspected patient killings!

In northern Germany, an investigation is currently underway against a doctor who is suspected of having killed several elderly patients. The police and public prosecutor's office in Itzehoe announced the investigation on July 8, 2025, and a special commission was set up to get to the bottom of the matter. The suspect comes from the Pinneberg district. For tactical reasons, the exact number of suspected cases is currently being held back, but the investigators emphasize that the presumption of innocence applies and that they were only able to take action based on initial suspicion. According to German law, this is the weakest level of suspicion that allows an investigation to be initiated.

A number of autopsies and exhumations have already been carried out, and previous deaths are currently being critically examined. However, the investigation and the necessary forensic medical examinations could take several weeks. The suspected case raises fundamental questions about ethical standards and responsibility in medical practice, as other cases in the past show.

Similar cases and their backgrounds

A remarkable case that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years is that of a Berlin palliative care doctor. The public prosecutor's office there has now exhumed ten bodies during an intensive investigation into the suspicion of killing several seriously ill patients. It originally appeared as if the suspect had killed four women between the ages of 72 and 94. The authorities now assume there are at least eight victims. The doctor, who treated patients at a time when they were not in the acute phase of death, has been in custody since August. The public prosecutor's office also points out that the suspect allegedly administered a "mixture of different medications", with "homicidal desire" being the motive. This situation is particularly dramatic because the investigation was triggered by fires that the doctor set to cover up his actions.

Similar problematic connections have also been discussed in the academic discussion of homicides by doctors. Past examples, such as the arrest of four nurses in Vienna in 1989 and the case of British doctor Harold Shipman, show that doctors are often in a position to exploit their privileged position to commit crimes. Shipman, who took the lives of countless patients, exemplifies a human depth that is often overlooked. Such offenses shed light on the importance of reviewing treatment methods and mortality in medical care.

Responsibility and ethical standards

Public trust in medical professionals is essential, but shocking incidents like these could undermine that trust. German society is faced with the challenge of how to deal with such acts and how to improve the system of medical control and ethical standards in order to prevent similar crimes. The social and legal consequences are therefore being followed with excitement, both for the northern German doctor and for the Berlin palliative care doctor, whose case shows that the depths of humanity sometimes lie exactly where we least expect it.

Further information on this investigation is expected to be provided in the coming weeks. Until then, it remains to be seen how the judiciary will deal with these alarming suspicions and what consequences this will have for the health system.