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Netflix came out with yet another gut-wrenching true crime documentary series. Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birget Meier (pronounced: Bear-git Mah-yur) is a German documentary based on the real life disappearance of 41-year-old Birgit Meier. With just four episodes, each approximately one-hour long, true crime fans do not have to look any further for a weekend binge.
Dig Deeper covers a brother's relentless pursuit to uncover any and all information about his missing sister.The docu-series is primarily in German but has English audio and subtitles available for non-German speakers.
Netflix's official synopsis for Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier reads:
"Birgit Meier disappears, but the police have other concerns. Only Wolfgang Sielaff - her brother and himself a police detective - suspects that she is the victim of a brutal crime. The search of a suspect's house brings some gruesome things to light."
Note: This article contains spoilers about the show in question.
'Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier' summary
Most people have certain days and dates etched in their memories, that were perhaps very traumatic for them. For Birgit Meier's family, the date was August 14, 1989. That was the unfortunate day when she went missing from Lüneburg, Germany and there were no answers as to where or why it happened. Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier features various law enforcement personnel, family, colleagues, and friends of Birgit talking about the disappearance.
Birgit was described by her family as a very compassionate and lively woman who doted on her own daughter. No one could understand why she would just leave her daughter like that. The theories initially being held by the Lüneburg police department were that of suicide. However, her family refused to believe that theory.
At the time of her disappearance, Birgit was going through a divorce with her husband Harald Meier, who soon became a prime suspect in the case. Around the time of Birgit's disappearance, two cases of double homicide were reported from Görhde forest and the police had a lot on their plate with all these crimes. As a result, Birgit's disappearance became less important for the police.
It can be harrowing for any family that has witnessed a crime or disappearance. Additionally, the non-cooperation of law enforcers can naturally make them want to take matters into their own hands. But not all families can do that. Fortunately, Birgit's brother, Wolfgang, was the head of the Criminal Investigation Department in Hamburg, Germany at the time. He had considerable influence in bringing attention to his sister's case.
It wasn't until 1993 that the police found any concrete clue in the case. They found out that she had met a gardener, Kurt-Werner Wichmann, during a birthday party at a neighbour's house a few weeks before she disappeared. However, he was never questioned. The police searched his house and found some very disturbing elements, including weapons, sedatives, and a hidden torture room. The gardener hung himself in police custody to escape arrest and Birgit's body was still not found.
For 31 years, Birgit's family lived in the dark about what happened to her. Frustrated with the police's lack of sincerity, Wolfgang took matters into his own hands. He assembled a charismatic team of experts including a lawyer, forensic experts, anthropologist, and detectives, who were all very experienced in their respective fields. Thus followed the famous search of Wichmann's house. What they found shocked and deeply saddened everyone. Birgit's remains, buried deep in Wichmann's garage, were recognized by her brother and husband and it was found that she had been shot.
The findings opened a Pandora's box, leading authorities to believe Wichmann had more victims buried around the house. In 2017, Birgit's family found closure but remain inconsolable about the tragic loss of their beloved.
Dig Deeper: The Disappearance of Birgit Meier is now available on Netflix. The true crime docuseries does contain some graphic images and descriptions and viewer discretion is advised.
