Germany - Alexandra Fröhlich, author, Hamburg, found dead on houseboat, 22 April 2025 *son arrested*

[flowershop]

German novelist Alexandra Fröhlich was found dead on a houseboat in Hamburg's Moorfleet district last Tuesday. Members of the family found her body. Police assume that she died as a result of violence.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/28/europe/german-novelist-murdered-houseboat-scli-intl/index.html

 

[flowershop]

Bild-Zeitung reports that the authorities are searching for the weapon in the harbor where Fröhlich kept her house boat. The authorities have made use of a 3D Scanner and have saved details. (I am limited in my German. I assume they are scanning the interior of the boat itself. Anyone want to chime in?)

One neighbor reported that he heard a gunshot at 1:30 am on the night in question.

Another neighbor reported that he saw the author earlier on the day of her murder grilling with her sons, a female friend and a dog.

 

[FansBlowing]

Here is a picture of her houseboat. It doesn't look like a secure area. I wonder if she was robbed?

 

[FansBlowing]

She was a German Ukrainian journalist married to a Russian. Some serious red flags here, given the ongoing war in Ukraine. I wonder what she was working on recently?

 

[FromGermany1]

Star-Autorin Alexandra Fröhlich erschossen – überraschende Wende?

Todesschuss in der Nacht. Schriftstellerin Alexandra Fröhlich (58) auf Hausboot hingerichtet. Ihr pinkfarbenes Paradies wird zur blutigen Falle.

www.berliner-kurier.de

Google translation:

Star author Alexandra Fröhlich shot dead – surprising turn of events?​

Fatal shot in the night. Writer Alexandra Fröhlich (58) executed on a houseboat. Her pink paradise becomes a bloody trap.

BK
/
K.M.
27.04.2025 20:38

Hamburg's waterfront celebrities are still in shock. News of the tragic death of acclaimed bestselling author Alexandra Fröhlich (58) spread like wildfire. Her lifeless body was discovered on her striking pink houseboat – a brutal crime tore the author's life away. The question of what happened on the water that night remains unanswered.

Since it became known that Alexandra Fröhlich died of unnatural causes, the police investigation has been in full swing. Officers from the Homicide Division (LKA 41) have been working feverishly since Tuesday to reconstruct the events. However, for investigative reasons, they are keeping quiet about specific details regarding the course of events. So far, there appears to be no specific suspect.

According to information from the Bild newspaper, a single shot was fired around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday night. Immediately afterward, there was silence. Only hours later, at around 5:20 a.m., did one of the writer's three sons alert the Hamburg police.

The arriving emergency doctor could only confirm the author's death. What happened in the crucial four hours between the alleged gunshot and the call for help remains unclear. Even those living nearby on the water apparently hadn't noticed the drama unfolding on the otherwise idyllic Alte Dove-Elbe in the Moorfleet district.

The pink houseboat had a special meaning for Alexandra Fröhlich. Just six months ago, she and her children had moved into the approximately 90-square-meter houseboat, a converted old Elbe barge.

The houseboat, already fully renovated, offered the author a refuge – far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and close to the nature she loved so much. Here, she wanted to draw strength and find inspiration for new projects. That this place became the site of her death seems all the more tragic.

Investigators worked meticulously at the crime scene. Specialists secured blood and fiber traces, created an exact map of the crime scene using a 3D scanner, and combed the boat in search of further evidence. The area around the houseboat was also thoroughly examined.

Bestselling author Alexandra Fröhlich lived far away from the hustle and bustle​

According to NDR, the police also focused on the deceased's family environment during the investigation. A relative reportedly took gunpowder residue from the scene – a common method to determine whether someone had recently fired a firearm.

It is unknown whether the murder weapon has been recovered yet. Divers from the state riot police have been searching the murky waters of the Alte Dove-Elbe River since Tuesday for evidence, particularly a possible firearm. There was no indication of further diving operations.

The police are urgently asking for help from the public. Witnesses who made any unusual observations during the night or who can provide information about what happened are asked to call 040/42 86-567 89 or contact any police station. ■

 

[Darling136]

Mord an Autorin Alexandra Fröhlich: Polizei nimmt ihren Sohn fest

Alexandra Fröhlich wurde tot auf ihrem Hausboot gefunden. Jetzt die Wende: Die Polizei hat ihren Sohn festgenommen – er steht im Verdacht, seine Mutter getötet zu haben.

www.bunte.de

In the above report there is a chapter to the very end, where a relative seems to be suspected as of some evidences at the crime scene.

 

[flowershop]

Mord an Autorin Alexandra Fröhlich: Polizei nimmt ihren Sohn fest

Alexandra Fröhlich wurde tot auf ihrem Hausboot gefunden. Jetzt die Wende: Die Polizei hat ihren Sohn festgenommen – er steht im Verdacht, seine Mutter getötet zu haben.

www.bunte.de

In the above report there is a chapter to the very end, where a relative seems to be suspected as of some evidences at the crime scene.

Thank you for posting this and pointing out that information. After the mention of the relative it says the experts at the scene took swabs of AF's hands. I hope she fought back and some DNA from the criminal will be found.

 

[flowershop]

The German police have arrested Alexandra Fröhlich's son on suspicion of her murder.

Tragedy: Author’s son arrested for allegedly killing her

The 58-year-old mother of three was found by one of her three sons.

7news.com.au

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Did she live on the boat with more than one of her children? Or was the son who found her the only one there that night? Such tragic circumstances.

 

[TravelingBug]

Interesting that the earlier articles mentioned a shot being fired + someone being tested for GSR, yet the article says initial COD was unclear (GSW would have been evident) and that she died from blunt force trauma.

As the cause of death was unclear and outside influence could not be ruled out, officers from the homicide squad took over the investigation at the scene in close coordination with the public prosecutor’s office,” Hamburg Police said.

And

Examination of the scene and evidence has led police to assume that “the woman died as a result of blunt force trauma”.

Was it blunt force with the gun and it went off accidently? Was it totally unrelated? Unless she fired it trying to stop him from attacking her, you'd think the son wouldn't have fired it for fear of attracting attention

 

[Darling136]

Did she live on the boat with more than one of her children? Or was the son who found her the only one there that night? Such tragic circumstances.

According to the german version of Wikipedia (the english one is much simpler) she has 3 sons, 1 from first marriage and twin sons from second. My assumption was that the twins are still living with her as the arrested one is older.

Fröhlich had a son from her first marriage; her husband died in an accident. Her relationship with a Russian theater actor produced twins.[8] Fröhlich last lived with her sons on a houseboat on the Holzhafenufer in Hamburg-Moorfleet.

Alexandra Fröhlich – Wikipedia

de.m.wikipedia.org

Plus i just found another report from my not favorite paper, but at least this article looks well written.

According to BILD, he was found in the stairwell on the ground floor of the apartment building where he also lives on the third floor. He was taken away in handcuffs.

Polizei sicher: Hier sitzt der Muttermörder auf dem Hausboot seines Opfers

Polizisten verhaften den Sohn der Bestseller-Autorin in Hamburg. Er soll seine Mutter auf ihrem Hausboot ermordet haben, sitzt später auf dem Sonnendeck.

m.bild.de

 

[Kahrmii]

There is still one fact I dont really understand as mentioned by TravelingBug

Interesting that the earlier articles mentioned a shot being fired + someone being tested for GSR, yet the article says initial COD was unclear (GSW would have been evident) and that she died from blunt force trauma.



And



Was it blunt force with the gun and it went off accidently? Was it totally unrelated? Unless she fired it trying to stop him from attacking her, you'd think the son wouldn't have fired it for fear of attracting attention

If Fröhlich died of blunt trauma, why was GSR found? She could have fired the gun in self-defense. Or was the gunshot unrelated (e.g., an accidental discharge)?
And if the shot was fired by the killer; Why shoot someone and then beat them to death instead of just shooting again? The absence of a recovered weapon and the focus on the son as a suspect might suggest a domestic incident, rather than an external motive like robbery or political conflict.
If I had to guess I'd say that the killer shot her, presumed her to be dead, panicked and threw the gun away (maybe in the water) only to realize that she was still somewhat alive and gave her the killing blow with the next best blunt object.

 

[Kahrmii]

Ok, I've dug a little deeper into this and got some things worth mentioning.

1. The gunshot was heard around 1:30 but was only reported at around 5:30.
   While this seems odd at first I can imagine the person who reported it, not being certain at first if the sound they heard was actually a gunshot. Those things rarely ever happen in germany and its very likely that the caller assumed it to be some distant firework as it is a far more plausible explanation given the time and likelihood of either thing happening.
   They probably called in at the EMS the next morning before heading to work "just in case".
2. The fact that she has early career roots in Kyiv might also ring some alarm bells, but tbh I don't see how that could have contributed to her early death. Her literary works aren't particularly critical (like in the case of Alexei Navalny) but are more comical in nature and focused on family and culture instead of politics.
3. Some people also pointed out that she might have "hidden" on the secluded houseboat from some unknown person or group but its pretty common, especially in Hamburg with its larger naval community and high rents, that people choose to live in houseboats instead of "normal" apartments.

Personally, I think a domestic dispute is still the most plausible answer given that no signs of a breakin were mentioned anywhere and that neighbors claimed to have heard "frequent arguments" in the days leading up to the murder. Also, n-tv.de points towards "drug problems" that the suspect son might have had, but given the sensational reputation this source has, this is to be taken with a grain of salt.

Auf Hausboot erschlagen: Sohn von ermordeter Bestseller-Autorin überraschend festgenommen

Wende im Mordfall der Schriftstellerin Alexandra Fröhlich. Medienberichten zufolge wurde einer ihrer Söhne verhaftet.

www.ksta.de