Lower Saxony: Cold case: Police publish “true crime short film”

Almost 30 years after the body of a man was found near the Dümmer, the police are reopening the case. A homicide squad will use a video to find Nenad Gajanovic’s murderer.

It was a “first,” the Oldenburg public prosecutor’s office and the Cloppenburg/Vechta police announced on Tuesday. Details of the murder of Nenad Gajanovic in 1996 would be shown publicly for the first time in the film. The body of the man, who may have been a member of organized crime, was found 28 years ago in August in Damme-Dümmerlohausen (Vechta district).

“True crime short film” with trigger warning

The short film published online by the police shows “how cruel and insidious the crime must have been,” according to the investigators. Among other things, the two-minute video produced by the police shows original photos from the crime scene. The investigators have prefaced their “true crime short film” with a so-called trigger warning. This is necessary in view of the image material used, they said.

To the post on Instagram

Murder of Nenad Gajanovic: Information portal and reward

The investigators say they want to use the publication to increase awareness of the murder case. They also want to specifically address possible witnesses and people who knew about the crime in order to obtain information about the crime. The authorities have offered a reward of 5,000 euros. Information can be provided by telephone (04471-1860-200), by email ([email protected]) and via a dedicated Information portal Witnesses can also report anonymously, it was said. The investigators are also asking citizens to actively participate in the investigation, for example by sharing posts on social media. The authorities have also set up #gajo96 as a keyword – also known as a hashtag – to collect posts on the various platforms.

The “Gajo” case: Man killed with multiple shots

The body of Nenad Gajanovic was found by hunters on August 8, 1996, on a country road near the Dümmer next to a red VW Golf. The man, who was 35 at the time, was reportedly murdered with several shots. It is known that Gajanovic himself moved in criminal circles. Among other things, “Gajo”, as he was known to those around him, is said to have started burglaries.

Other cold cases in Northern Germany:

Contacts with organized crime

In addition, the authorities assume that he “had close contacts with international organized crime, and was even allegedly part of it.” Investigators suspect that the motive for murder and the perpetrator could also be related to this. Shortly before his murder, Gajanovic, who comes from the former Yugoslavia, allegedly went into hiding in a hotel in Oldenburg, according to investigators.

Cold case reopened – Europol helps “Gajo 96”

After a homicide squad that was set up at the time was unable to solve the murder of Nenad Gajanovic, the case was closed. That changed in 2019, when investigation files and secured evidence were re-examined as part of a review of old, unsolved cases. The results of new analysis methods allowed investigators to reopen the cold case. Since this year, a separate homicide squad has been investigating again. Due to Gajanovic’s suspected contacts with international organized crime, the homicide squad, known as “Gajo 96,” is also supported by EUROPOL.