Namibia: 2 Die in Farm Bloodbath


The Namibian (Windhoek)

14 July 2008
Posted to the web 14 July 2008

Werner Menges


A FARMHOUSE in the Steinhausen area northeast of Windhoek became the scene of a bloodbath on Wednesday last week, when a German professional hunter turned a large-calibre hunting rifle on his live-in partner, shot dead five dogs, and then killed himself with a shot to the head.

With no suicide note left behind by hunter Wilhelm Hans Drum (67), the Police have been left puzzled over the trigger that set off the deadly events at farm Borealis on Wednesday last week.


According to a Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Theophillus Willem, an employee at the farm, situated some 70 kilometres northeast of Hosea Kutako International Airport, discovered the bloodbath in the farmhouse at about 14h00 on Wednesday.

The worker found German citizen Drum, who was renting the farm and was a permanent resident of Namibia, dead in the lounge after an apparent suicide.

Also dead in the blood-spattered lounge, was Drum's partner, Karin Bogenschuetz (68).

She was also a German national, but had not been living in Namibia as long as Drum had.

With a bullet wound in her forehead, Bogenschuetz had apparently been shot from the front.

Three dogs were also found shot to death in the lounge.

Another dog had been shot dead in the kitchen, while a fifth lay dead at a car outside.

Drum, it appeared, finally committed suicide by shooting himself in the head, with the fatal entry wound under his chin.

A Winchester .300 hunting rifle - a powerful firearm normally used for big-game hunting - had been used to carry out the shootings.

According to the Police, the shootings are thought to have taken place in the hour before the worker discovered the bloody scene.


Said Willem on Friday: "No suicide note was left behind."