Research Centuries-Old Error Resolved: Skeleton of “Schinderhannes” Conclusively Identified
16 April 2025
DNA analysis also provides new insights into the appearance of the legendary robber
Brown eyes, dark hair and a rather pale complexion – this is how the legendary robber Johannes Bückler, better known as “Schinderhannes,” may have looked. That is the conclusion of new research led by scientists from Heidelberg and Innsbruck (Austria), carried out by an international team. Thanks to a DNA comparison with a living descendant, the skeleton has now been conclusively identified. After Bückler’s execution in 1803, the skeleton was added to the Anatomical Collection at the Medical Faculty Heidelberg of Heidelberg University, but was later mistakenly identified as the remains of another executed individual. By accurately tracing the skeleton’s origin, the researchers have managed to correct a centuries-old error.
For 220 years, two human skeletons in Heidelberg’s Anatomical Collection had been labeled as “Schinderhannes” and “Schwarzer Jonas” (Black Jonas), another bandit. Both men, whose real names were Johannes Bückler and Christian Reinhard, were executed in Mainz in 1803. Their remains were added to the collection in 1805 by Jacob Fidelis Ackermann, the first incumbent of the Chair of Anatomy and Physiology. Under his successor, the collection numbers of the bone montages were seemingly swapped, leading to the misidentification of both skeletons. The international research team, led by Dr Sara Doll (Heidelberg) and Prof. Dr Walther Parson (Innsbruck), has now proven that the skeleton previously thought to be “Schwarzer Jonas” in fact belonged to “Schinderhannes”, while his supposed bones cannot be those of “Schwarzer Jonas” – his skeleton must have been lost in the course of time.
The researchers used a variety of methods to narrow down the identities of the two skeletons. Hints as to where the men may have spent their childhoods and later years came from an isotopic analysis of the bones. In the case of “Schinderhannes,” the results point to the Hunsrück region, where Johannes Bückler and his gang were active during his lifetime. Further anthropological examinations, including chemical analyses and radiological imaging techniques, provided additional information on the age, gender and possible illnesses. “All these results, coupled with a careful analysis of historical documents, pointed to a possible mix-up of the two skeletons,” explains Dr Doll, curator of the Anatomical Collection.
This suspicion was further confirmed when the researchers around Sara Doll and Walther Parson analyzed what is known as the mitochondrial DNA. This genetic information is only passed on to descendants via the maternal line and is suitable for determining parentage. A living fifth-generation descendant of “Schinderhannes” agreed to provide their DNA for comparison. Definitive proof came from comparing this DNA with that extracted from the bone marrow: According to the researchers, molecular genetic analysis of nearly 5,000 markers clearly confirmed a familial link across five generations – supporting the conclusion that both skeletons had previously been falsely attributed.
The analysis also revealed details about Johannes Bückler’s eye, hair and skin color. “The data suggests that ‘Schinderhannes’ had brown eyes, dark hair and rather pale skin,” explains Prof. Parson, head of the Forensic Molecular Biology research unit at the Institute of Legal Medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck. The few contemporary descriptions are contradictory, and most surviving depictions were created after Bückler’s execution. Genetic reconstruction of these traits can therefore help clarify these inconsistencies regarding the robber’s appearance in future research.
It remains unclear who the misidentified skeleton of “Schwarzer Jonas” in the Anatomical Collection actually belongs to. This is because the research also ruled out any link between the remains of either Johannes Bückler or Christian Reinhard. This means the skeleton must belong to a third, unidentified person. Where the real skeleton of “Schwarzer Jonas” has gone also remains unknown. It is possible that it was taken – perhaps mistaken for the skeleton of Johannes Bückler – and never returned. “Ironically, this mix-up could ultimately have led to our still being in possession of the real skeleton of ‘Schinderhannes’ today,” says Dr Doll. “So it remains exciting.”
Researchers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Portugal, and the USA contributed to the study. The findings have been published in the journal “Forensic Science International: Genetics”.
Original publication
W. Parson, A. Alterauge, C. Amory, S. Heinze, S. Hölzl, R. G. Jahn, C. Lehn, T. Sänger, C. Xavier, A. Tillmar, K. Nolte, S. Lutz-Bonengel, S. Doll: Remains of the German outlaw Johannes Bückler alias Schinderhannes identified by an interdisciplinary approach. Forensic Science International: Genetics (available online 22 March 2025)