In September 1991, two German hikers stumbled upon the remarkably preserved remains of a murder victim in Austria’s Ötztal Valley region. Today, 31 years later, researchers are still uncovering new insights from this ancient crime scene.
In what was initially thought to be a recent mountaineering accident, the hikers were taken aback to discover that the human remains belonged to a victim of a cold-blooded murder dating back 5,300 years. Named “Ötzi,” this ancient figure has since become one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of all time.
Thanks to the unique preservation conditions provided by the freezing ice of the Austrian glacier, Ötzi’s body has remained astonishingly intact.