Overview
- Three people were shot dead at Manfred Meisel’s finca near S’Aranjassa on the night of 12 November 1997: Meisel, his eight-year-old son Patrick, and employee Claudia Leisten.
- Investigators found shoeprint impressions suggesting at least one small-stature attacker, fragments of 6.35 mm ammunition from PMP and S&B, close-range shots and other signs pointing to a targeted, professional attack.
- Spanish prosecutors can no longer bring charges because the case is time-barred in Spain, but the Staatsanwaltschaft and Kripo in Frankfurt continue to investigate under German law because Meisel was a German citizen.
- A suspect from Meisel’s circle was detained in 2007 but prosecutors did not bring charges because the available evidence was insufficient.
- ZDF aired the case on Aktenzeichen XY on October 7, 2026 and published Kripo Frankfurt contact details as prosecutors publicly asked viewers to send decisive tips by phone or email so that new leads can be pursued.