Missing Hairdresser Master - what happened to Roswitha Hedt?

File XY - Missing Hairdresser - what happened to Roswitha Hedt?

At Roswitha Hedt's hair salon in Bad Bodenteich near Gifhorn, Germany, on the afternoon of January 4, 1999, she closes down her business for the last activities that could ever be traced back. Twenty-five years have passed since the independent master hairstylist Roswitha Hedt disappeared, and it remains completely unclear what happened to her. Did she disappear voluntarily? Was there an accident, or did the then 52-year-old woman fall victim to a crime?

If Roswitha Hedt is still alive, she would be 77 years old now. In the search for the missing woman from Knesebeck in the Lower Saxony district of Gifhorn, the police have created a composite image of her aged appearance. The Gifhorner Criminal Chief Commissioner Frank Bauerfeld hopes to obtain new leads from this photograph. It is not entirely ruled out that the missing person is still alive. The case of Roswitha Hedt will be presented on this Wednesday evening (ZDF, 20.15 hours) on "Aktenzeichen XY...Vermisst".

A total of four missing persons' cases will be dealt with in this special edition of the popular TV format. The case of Roswitha Hedt is the oldest of them, and it contains many strange aspects. Among these are a large shopping spree by the woman, a visit to a friend, the discovery of her car, and the fact that she was reported missing by her husband eight days after her last known contact.

The investigators have been able to uncover some events from the day of her disappearance: Roswitha Hedt visited a woman in Braunschweig that evening, whom she could not be described as a close friend but rather as an acquaintance. "They know each other from a long time ago, from a brass band," the ZDF reported before the broadcast of the program.

That same afternoon, Hedt had gone on a major shopping spree: She spent 1800 Marks at the Metro, among other things, on pillows and bedding.

"Aktenzeichen XY" describes the day Roswitha Hedt went missing

The purchases were still in the car of the missing person when they were discovered on January 13, 1999, at the clinic in Wolfenbüttel. The red Scirocco was parked on a long-term parking lot. Witnesses reported to the police that the car had been parked there for several days. The purchased items were untouched, as the police discovered.

No signs of violence were found in the car, according to reports in the "Bild" newspaper about the work on this case. Since then, the personal belongings of Roswitha Hedt, such as her wallet, her cosmetics bag, and her cell phone, have been missing.

The investigators were able to determine that the cell phone of the woman made several calls in the Wolfenbüttel city area that late evening of January 4. Several call attempts were also registered. However, no conversation took place, and the cell phone has not been used since then – nor the EC card of the missing person.

What exactly had Roswitha Hedt planned for that day in early January? Reports on the case mention a planned doctor's appointment and a visit to her daughter in Osterholz-Scharmbeck. Plans for a break are also often mentioned in reports on this Cold Case.

Regarding the visit at his daughter's place, he no longer comes. Roswitha Hedt's husband found out about this during a phone call with his daughter on January 5, 1999. However, he reported his wife missing only eight days later, on January 12, 1999, the day before the missing person's car was found. According to reports, he gave the explanation for the late missing person report that his wife had left him and needed a few days alone.

The investigators hope to gain new insights from the "Aktenzeichen XY" special edition – although the incident occurred almost half a century ago. In the show moderated by Rudi Cerne, they will also discuss cases from Eckernförde, Munich, and Regensburg.

Sources: Press release for "Aktenzeichen XY...Vermisst", Bild.de, "Regional Heute.de"

At stern+, Nancy Beaumont waited in vain for her three children 56 years ago, on January 26. They disappeared without a trace. The suspicious man could not be identified until now.

The ZDF documentary "Aktenzeichen XY...Vermisst" will feature the missing person case of Roswitha Hedt from Knesebeck in Lower Saxony's Gifhorn district, which took place in 1999 in Bad Bodenteich near Gifhorn, Germany.
During the investigation into Roswitha Hedt's disappearance, the police discovered her red Scirocco parked on a long-term lot at a clinic in Wolfenbüttel on January 13, 1999.
The Gifhorner Criminal Chief Commissioner Frank Bauerfeld expressed hope that new leads on the missing person case could be obtained from a composite image of Roswitha Hedt's aged appearance, which will be presented on ZDF at 20.15 hours.
Before her disappearance, Roswitha Hedt visited an acquaintance in Braunschweig that evening and had a major shopping spree at the Metro, where she purchased 1800 Marks worth of items, including pillows and bedding.
The personal belongings of Roswitha Hedt, such as her wallet, cosmetics bag, and cell phone, were missing from her car when it was found, and her cell phone made several calls in the Wolfenbüttel city area that late evening, but no conversation took place, and it has not been used since.