Vaslui Hitchhiker Murders (Unsolved serial murders)

In the later half of 2000 three women were murdered whilst hitchhiking in eastern Romania. The bodies of Maria Bîru, Safta Ciubotaru and Marcela Tomozei were discovered along lonely forest roads near the city of Barlad. There were few clues and little in the way of forensic evidence. All went quiet and it was assumed the killer had moved away or possibly even died. Then in 2004 it appeared the killer may have struck again with the brutal murder of  Mioara Danuta Manea. A decade later two further murders elsewhere in Europe would thrust a prime suspect into the spotlight.

Sources for the episode can be found here 

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Transcript

Vaslui Hitchhiker Murders

Crețești is a commune or rural administrative subdivision situated in Vaslui County, eastern Romania. In the year 2000 it was the home of 29 year Marcela Tomozei. Marcela had been working as a nurse at Husi Municipal Hospital for the past 18 months. Husi was less than a 20 minute commute from her home. Marcela would either drive this jouney alone or by thumbing a ride from passing motorists. In Romania at the time, hitchhiking was a common and inexpensive way for people to travel from A-B. Marcela was not afraid of breaking down along the long forest road or travelling in a car with a stranger. This attitude was in keeping with her character. The Romanian newspaper Jurnalul National described Marcela as a faithful, fierce and strong woman. 

Marcela was married to Iosif (this is not his real name but I'm using it to protect his privacy) who was the local priest and the couple had two sons together aged 6 and 8. Marcela hoped the boys would follow in their father’s footsteps and become priests when they grew up.

Around September 2000 Marcela began waking up most nights due to a recurring and particularly vivid nightmare. In the terrifying dream Marcela found herself in a room surrounded by dead human heads. Understandably this was bothering her and she confided in Iosif about the problem. Believing there could be a spiritual explanation he suggested that Marcela should fast and pray in an attempt to rid herself of the persistent nightmare.  

On the morning of Wednesday October 11th 2000 Marcela went into Husi Municipal Hospital to complete some work in the office. When she left she told her colleagues that she would see them the next day at a gathering of striking health workers being held in the city of Vaslui. Marcela was a union representative at the hospital. Just as a note, the city of Vaslui was about a 40 minute drive from Marcela’s village home.

That evening the couple had plans to celebrate the birthday of their friend, a fellow priest, in the city of Galați. As it so happened the family vehicle, an ARO (short for Au Romonai) off road 4x4,  was undergoing repairs at a garage 100km away in the town of Tecuci. Marcela and Iosif decided they would hitchhike the two and a half hours to Galați. They had plans to stay with their friend overnight.

At the birthday party Marcela reiterated to Iosif her wish to travel the next day to attend the strikes happening back in Vaslui. She was determined to be involved because wage and working conditions needed to improve. They decided that early in the morning Marcela would hitchhike back to Vaslui via the cities of Tecuci and Bârlad. After the demonstration had finished she would then go on to complete her shift. The couple would later meet up in Tecuci, by which time it was hoped the car would be fixed and ready to drive.

The following day Marcela was up early and ironed a pink blouse and skirt and got dressed. Over the top of these items she slipped on a red overcoat. Iosif then walked Marcela to a spot on the outskirts of Galați where dozens of people regularly congregated to thumb a ride out of the city. There were plenty of others already there when the couple arrived. Even so they both knew from past experience that Marcela would not have long to wait. The picking up of hitchhikers was an established practice and many people were comfortable giving lifts to complete strangers. At 8.30am Iosif said goodbye to his wife and returned to the home of their friend the priest, where they had been staying. He did not wait to see which car Marcela got into.

That evening Marcela did not return to Tecuci as planned. Iosif was worried and contacted his mother-in-law to see if his wife had decided to go and stay with her. Marcela was not there and her mother had not seen her. He then called Husi Hospital and was told the gut wrenching news that Marcela had not only failed to turn up to work that day but had also not met up with her colleagues at the strike. Iosif knew straight away there was a problem; it was unheard of for Marcela to behave like this. She was always on time and did not let others down. His first thought was that she may have been involved in a traffic accident. He called all the hospitals in the Bârlad and Vaslui area but there was no sign of his wife. Iosif then contacted the police and reported Marcela missing.

A day later, on October 13th 2000, a woodcutter named Sergiu from the Zorleni commune, near the city of Bârlad, was driving a horse and cart back to his home. He was on a path that led to the village of Dealu Mare. As Sergiu made his way along the lonely route he drew near to a brick factory on the outskirts of Bârlad. It was here that he cast a glance to the right hand side of the road and noticed what he thought was a pile of clothes. They lay about 30 m away in a patch of grass, just in front of dense woodland. Sergiu stopped the cart and got down to take a closer look. It was not a pile of clothes but the body of a young woman. She was lying on her back with one knee bent and the arms outstretched. Shocked and disoriented, Sergiu made his way to the nearest dwelling and notified the police.

Meanwhile Iosif Tomozei was still awaiting news of his missing wife. He was contacted by the head of the local police on October 14th and told that the body of a young woman had been found near Bârlad. Initially Iosif was hopeful that it was not Marcela. The police informed him that the woman looked to be around 20. Marcela was 29. He decided he wasn’t going to travel to look at the body as he was sure it was not his wife. Then the police officer mentioned that the woman had very peculiar laces on her footwear. It was then that Iosif realised it was indeed Marcela. She had recently bought a new pair of boots which unusually laced up on the back of the ankle. Iosif travelled to Bârlad and was shown photographs of the body. He confirmed that it was his wife Marcela Tomozei. 

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Before I continue with the narrative, here’s just a quick explanation of the investigative process in Romania. Prosecutors play a crucial role in the legal system, tasked with investigating and prosecuting criminal offences. They go through a very competitive and rigorous selection process, and are appointed to their position by the president of Romania. Each region has its own prosecutor. Operating under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, prosecutors are responsible for gathering evidence, questioning witnesses, and building cases against individuals accused of committing crimes. They are not police officers but work alongside the police and oversee their day to day work in an investigation. The bigger the case the more hands-on a prosecutor will be in the process. There have been at least five prosecutors involved with the case of the Vaslui hitchhiker murders.

An autopsy showed that Marcela had been strangled to death with a ligature made of a textile material. This had left traces on the skin around the area of the neck. It was likely this item had been Marcela’s own scarf. The scarf was not found at the scene and was never located. The examination also showed there was a mark on the right side of the head. This may have been caused by a punch or an object, possibly even a collision with the door frame of the car she was travelling in. Interestingly medical examiners could not be sure if this mark had been caused before or after death. No scrapings were found under Marcela’s fingernails and there was no sign of any defensive wounds. This could indicate she had been taken by surprise.

Investigators did not believe that Marcela had been murdered where the body was found. One  theory proposed by police was that she may have been sitting in the front right hand seat (the car would have been a left hand drive) and was strangled from behind. This scenario could mean more than one person being involved. This would also explain why there were no defensive wounds and no foreign material found under Marcela’s fingernails.  

In Romania at the time, suspected murder victims were not swabbed or tested for DNA evidence. DNA was first used in a criminal murder case there in 2001 and testing did not become common practice for a year or so after that. As a result no DNA evidence exists in Marcela’s case. Very little other evidence could be gleaned from the scene as no footprints or fingerprints were found.

The motive for the killing was not obvious. Robbery was considered. According to Iosif, several items were missing from Marcela’s person when she was found. These included items of gold jewellery: a chain bracelet, a chain with a cross, a wedding ring and a ring with a mounted stone. Also missing was a bag containing an amount of Lei, Romanian currency. (I cannot be sure of the exact amount as this seems to get muddled in translation and due to the New Lei being introduced as currency in the mid 2000s. I don't think it could have been a vast amount). Marcela’s personal documents and a written copy of an Akathist (a hymn recited by Eastern Orthodox christians) were also presumed to have been taken by the killer.

Reading up on this case it is often said there was no sign of rape or sexual assault and all Marcela’s clothing was found as it should be. Digging a little deeper it seems that it was not possible to specify whether there had been a sexual assault or rape. Iosif told investigators that the couple had sex before she left that day which further complicated the matter. Police Commissioner Barbieru, who was the lead police officer, believed there was a sexual motive to the murder and that the missing items had been taken as trophies. Marcela’s father apparently confirmed that the jewellery his daughter owned was not expensive and she always wore it out of sight.

Police inquiries did throw up a few leads. A witness came forward and said they believed they had seen Marcela getting into a blue Dacia Papuc in the city of Tecuci. Papuc translates as “Slipper” due to the body shape of the car resembling the item of footwear. However, investigators believed that in all likelihood Marcela had only taken this car as far as Bârlad before thumbing a ride from another car the rest of the way. This assumption was based on how hitchhikers generally worked their way from city to city, but investigators could not be 100% sure in this instance. On top of that, investigators also received information about a different car.

Police took statements from a group of five people travelling by cart past the brick factory near where Marcela’s body was found. They were from the village of Dealu Mare, which lay 10 minutes from Bârlad. One of their members, a female, was from the capital, Bucharest.

The witnesses said they saw a woman being transported in the backseat of a red Dacia on the road near the factory where the body was found. I believe it was the female witness from Bucharest who gave the details about the car. From the way the woman was lying on the rear seat they could not tell if she was alive or dead. The red Dacia had slowed to a halt as the cart got close. After the cart had passed the car quickly accelerated and turned right onto a road running past a grove of acacia trees. This was where Marcela’s body was later found. This location was renowned as a spot where men would bring sex workers.

Police Commissioner Constatin Barbieru questioned the veracity of the statements made by the five witnesses in the cart. He claimed the group had been drunk and therefore the account could not be fully trusted. For example the witnesses were shown photographs of Marcela and none of them picked her out as the woman they had seen in the back of the car.

Nevertheless, car tracks found on the road leading down the acacia grove supported the witnesses’ story. There was disagreement among investigating officials about the relevance of the tracks found at the site. Prosecutor Ovidiu Berinde who worked the case for many years believed the tyre tracks were not from a Dacia car. Police Commissioner Barbieru thought they could possibly come from a Dacia but did not rule out the possibility they were made by a Cielo, Tico or ARO. 

There was also disagreement over how the body ended up in the position in which it was found, especially as no footprints were found at the scene. The first prosecutor to work the case, Vasile Salaru, explained that the body may have been thrown directly from the car. Prosecutor Berinde who followed Selaru believed the body had been carried to the spot and placed there. The reason footprints were not found was because by the time the body was found (over 24 hours later), enough time had passed for the trampled grass to rise back up. Both theories were valid, and a definitive judgement could not be made.

A photofit of the man seen driving the red Dacia was compiled but it was said to be so vague it was of no use. Police Commissioner Barbieru stated the five witnesses travelling in the cart gave contradictory statements so the description could not be relied upon. The investigation has since been criticised because there are journalists who feel the accounts of these witnesses were not given enough weight.

Investigators looked at two similar cases that had occurred in the region during the 1990’s. In these instances women hitchhikers were assaulted but I don't think the attacks resulted in murder. The crimes had not been connected to each other and both perpetrators had  been caught, but even so the police double checked that both men were still in prison.

A psychological profile of the killer was developed by specialists in Romanian law enforcement. The perpetrator was said to be a man suffering from a mental illness, though not in an advanced stage. They also believed the man very likely lived near Bârlad, as the place chosen to dispose of the body was no accident. As it was a spot frequented by sex workers and their clients it would be prudent to speculate the man likely used sex workers. 

Men who ran unauthorised taxis which made a living out of picking up hitchhikers were looked into, as well as local ex-convicts and alcoholics. Nothing concrete materialised and over the next few months leads were few and far between.

Romanian police were initially suspicious of Marcela’s husband Iosif. They believed him to be withholding information. They dug into his background and suspected him of financial wrongdoing. I'm not sure of the details of this issue but it had something to do with the priest painting religious icons and selling them at a profit. According to an article on the Romanian media site Jurnalul National from February 13th  2008, Iosif admitted to doing this. Police thought that if he was less than transparent in one area of his life he might be less than honest in other areas too. Their suspicion was piqued when Iosif remarried just a matter of months after Marcela’s death. In his defence Iosif claimed that he remarried so quickly due to professional reasons. As an Eastern Orthodox priest he said his superiors put pressure on him to swiftly remarry. Iosif was given a lie detector test by investigators which he passed. After this he was no longer viewed as a suspect.

Iosif attempted to bring up his children and get on with his life as best he could. His two boys missed their mother terribly and at first he didn't know how to tell them what had happened. Instead they were told their mother had died as a result of an accident. It was a terrible time for the family.

In December 2000 as the police were still busying themselves trying to solve Marcela’s murder, a grisly discovery led to the real possibility a serial killer was on the loose.

Mitoc forest lies in the Cotesti commune along the E581 highway, 20 minus north of Bârlad. This is only a 20 or 30 minute drive from where Marcela Tomozei’s body was found. The spot is basically halfway between Bârlad and Vaslui. It's a remote location with the nearest town lying 10km or 6 miles away.  

A forrester working deep in the woods stumbled upon a human skull. Investigators arrived and started searching in a radius from the spot. 800m away they came across another human skull. The rest of the skeleton was found a little distance away. The bones had been dismembered by animals and scattered all around. The presence of wild boars and foxes coupled with inclement  weather meant there was no tissue left on the bones. Items of clothing were found with both sets of remains. I'm unsure if a complete skeleton was recovered in both cases. 

The first set of remains belonged to 30 year old Safta Ciubotaru. She came from Vinderei commune in Vaslui county, though she had been living in the city of Bârlad with her sister for some time. Safta’s husband had died from cancer in August 2000. The couple had two children, a son aged 11 and a daughter aged 8, and in a tough economic climate Safta found herself the sole provider.

In an attempt to work her way out of poverty Safta procured some seasonal work in Turkey. On October 10th 2000, just two days before Marcela Tomozei disappeared, Safta got up at 7am and went to a location outside the bearing factory in Bârlad to hitch a lift to the city of Vaslui. She intended to visit a travel agency to enquire about when she could next return to Turkey. Safta hoped to go back as soon as possible to earn more money. She also intended on visiting a bank in the city to withdraw the equivalent of 1500 US dollars in savings she had accumulated during her working trips abroad. Safta was last seen waiting for a lift outside the bearing factory. There had been no sign of her since then, until the remains were discovered. 

Safta came from a large family, (she had seven siblings) and when she first went missing they thought perhaps she had travelled on to Turkey without telling them. After three weeks with no news from Safta the extended family reported her missing. 

In December 2000 two of Safta’s siblings heard the news about human remains being found in Mitoc forest. They suspected Safta could be one of the victims. They telephoned police to describe the clothing Safta was wearing when she was last seen. Safta’s sister whom she had been staying with had seen her leave the apartment the morning she went missing. Clothing found with the first set of human remains was identified by the siblings as belonging to Safta. They also recognised two gold teeth that were prominently on display in photographs they were shown of the skull.

Due to the extent of the decomposition and the length of time the remains had been exposed to the elements the cause of death could not be determined. It was not evident whether a sexual assault had taken place. Therefore it was difficult to state a definitive motive. As in the case of Marcela Tomozei robbery was a possibility. Safta’s purse was missing as well as her personal documents, a small amount of money. Her jewellery, which included a gold wedding ring and silver chain necklace, had been taken.

Safta’s death had a drastic effect on her young family. Her murder left her two young children orphans. As her extended family couldn't afford to take them in, the state took guardianship of the 11 and 8 year olds. Sadly the siblings were separated. Safta’s son was sent to a children's home in Tulcea in the south east of Romania and her daughter was fostered by a family in Bârlad.

The second set of remains belonged to 46 year old Maria Biru. Identification was again possible through clothes found at the scene and dental records. Maria came from Răchitoasa in Băcau County, an hour's drive north east of Bârlad. Maria was a single parent who had brought up her family alone. Maria left home on August 28th 2000 with the intention of visiting her sister in Vaslui. Maria was a carer for her sick, elderly mother and she was hoping to obtain some cheaper medicines through contacts her sister had in the city. Maria caught a bus to Berheci and alighted there with the expectation of taking the train the rest of the way to Vaslui via Bârlad. The train was delayed and Maria made the decision to hitchhike the last leg of her journey. Some reports, such as in the Jurnalul National May 13th 2011, say she was last seen outside the Rulmenti factory in Bârlad attempting to catch a ride.

Three days later Maria's sister contacted her nephew (Maria's son) to say that his mother had not arrived. The aunt had been waiting to call because Maria had mentioned to her that it might take a few days’ travel to reach Vaslui.

Just as in the other cases Maria’s jewellery, including a chain and ring, was missing. Her purse containing cash had also been taken. Again, the remains were in such an advanced state of decomposition the cause of death could not be established. 

It is worth mentioning that both sets of remains found in Mitoc forest displayed no signs of trauma or violence. As a result neither case was officially recorded as a homicide, which has proved a barrier to seeing these cases solved. There is no doubt both women were murdered. As in the case of Marcela Tomozei, tests for foreign DNA were not completed on the remains found in Mitoc forest.

Over the years there has been some controversy over the identification of the second set of remains found in Mitoc forest. Shortly after they were first found Maria Biru’s adult son did not believe that the remains were that of his mother. He claimed the photographs he had been shown of the skull could not be his mother. The teeth on the skull were intact but this did not match the memory the son had of his mother and the dental work she had undergone. As I mentioned earlier, at that time DNA testing was not in use in Romania for such cases so no confirmation could be made. As a result Maria’s son did not claim the remains and there was no christian burial or memorial service held. A death certificate was not even issued for Maria. I will come back to this point later as it is a point of interest that is later mentioned by one of the many prosecutors who had responsibility for the investigation. 

When the two sets of remains were found in December 2000, they were naturally deemed to be  connected to each other and both victims of the same killer. Police Commissioner Barbieru suspected they were connected with Marcela Tomozeis murder. There were obvious similarities, in terms of the location and timings (remember Marcela went missing just two days after Safta), and the missing jewellery etc. 

The year 2000 saw a big increase in murders in Vaslui county. There were 16 in total, up from 10 the previous year, and the workload was tough for local police. Very little hard evidence and scant witness accounts meant the Vaslui hitchhiker murders investigation,by which the series of killings became known, meandered on for a few years with little to show for police efforts. When there were no further similar murders it was presumed the killer must have been in prison for unrelated offences, had lost the use of his vehicle, moved abroad or perhaps had even died.

29 year old Mioara Anuta Manea lived in Moara Grecilor, a northern suburb of the city of Vaslui. As a note, in my research it I found Mioara is sometimes referred to by her middle name Anuta. 29.48 In the spring of 2004 Mioara and her husband had recently built their own house. Some reports say she was pregnant with her first child. The couple had experienced problems conceiving  but a doctor had told them that he hoped they would fall pregnant by the end of the year. Until recently Mioara had worked as a veterinary technician but due to staff redundancies she now held down a job in a bread factory. On May 20th 2004 Mioara had plans to visit her mother Elena who lived a 45 minute drive east in  Şişcani. She was going to stay for a couple of nights and had planned the visit to coincide with St Elena’s day, her mother’s Saint Day, which fell on May 21st.

That Thursday Mioara arrived home from work at 4pm. She got dressed into some beige pants, and a sweater, on top of which she put an imitation leather jacket. On her feet she wore a pair of beige clogs. It was already getting quite late and her husband suggested Mioara waited until the next morning to travel. She would not hear of it and was determined to make the journey that evening. 

Mioara and her husband travelled into the city centre where the couple then parted. Her husband went to work and Mioara made her way to a well known hitchhiking spot near a PECO service station on the outskirts of Vaslui.  Mioara’s husband always worried a little when she went hitchhiking and he warned her to be careful about whose car she got into. For her part Mioara was not afraid, it didn't bother her in the least. She was aware of the story of Marcela Tomozei who had been murdered while hitchhiking in 2000 but was confident everything would be fine. It had always been ok in the past when she had travelled this way. After her husband said goodbye to Mioara there were no further sightings of the young woman. 

Seven days later a shepherd or herdsman was driving cattle through the Tatarani forest near Husi. This is a 20 minute drive north of Mioara’s home, not too far from the border with the neighbouring country of Moldova. It was a beautiful spring day as the man made his way along a track he had never traversed before, which led to the village of Dealu Mare. As he made his way along the rough road he noticed a pile of clothes lying nearby and went over to investigate. He thought he might discover some discarded items that might be valuable or useful to him in some way. As he approached he became aware that what he was looking at wasn’t just items of clothing. It looked like a doll. He then had the dawning realisation that it was the body of a woman. He could see that there were no shoes and the clothing had been torn. The arms were outstretched in the shape of a cross and there was an obvious wound on the neck. He ran quickly to the nearest village and found a police station. At first the police officer on duty  listened to the herdsman’s story rather incredulously. Then a thought was triggered at the back of his mind and he was reminded of the bodies that were found in the forests back in 2000. 

The officer went to the scene but stopped a distance away from the spot and observed the body with binoculars. He had the presence of mind not to disturb the scene and hinder any evidence collection. He contacted the city police who told him to hold fast and not get any closer so tracks and footprints would remain intact. Police inspectors from Bucharest were sent for and arrived as quickly as they could. No one approached the body until the crime scene experts who had worked the 2000 cases were able to get there.

The body was soon identified as being Mioara Anuta Manea. Mioara’s husband was at a loss at the news and struggled to cope. In order to numb the pain he turned to drink. The future the couple had planned had been taken from them in the most sudden and violent way.

It was believed the body had been there since shortly after Mioara was last seen a week earlier. Over the previous seven days there had been a lot of rain. This had potentially washed evidence away. Only one footprint was found near the body and that was believed to belong to the herdsman.

Some hair samples were taken from a branch that hung about 6ft or 183 cm from the ground near the body. It was first thought the killer may have stood here and left these hairs behind. Hopes were soon crushed when the lab results showed it to come from a squirrel. The bad weather also hindered any attempt to ascertain if a sexual assault or rape had taken place. From the evidence collected this could not be determined. Prosecutor Breinde confirmed that vaginal samples were taken but foreign DNA was not found. It is reported that the body was found semi naked. As in Marcela Tomozei’s case nothing was discovered under the fingernails. 

A medical examination concluded that Mioara had been strangled to death. This had been done manually and the killer had used only one hand. Mioara may have been unconscious or severely stunned when the strangling began as there was evidence she had been hit very hard in the nose. Translated reports indicate the face was, quote “disfigured” by the blow.  

Investigators theorised that Mioara had been attacked in the car. Perhaps she had started making a fuss when she sensed something was wrong or it was obvious the driver was not headed to her mothers home.The attacker had then elbowed or punched Mioara in the nose to silence her. He may even have used an object to inflict this injury. 

Some children came forward to say they had seen a woman that resembled Mioara hitchhiking in the town of Crețești, which was roughly halfway to her destination. Investigators were never convinced of this sighting but it could well be that she did reach this location safely. She could have been picked up here by the killer before being attacked on the road somewhere between Crețești and Şişcani.

Mioara’s body had then been disposed of near Husi, which is in the opposite direction to Şişcani. Investigators surmised that Mioara had likely been taken towards Şişcani for some time before being murdered. The killer had then driven to Husi to dispose of the body. 

On this occasion jewellery was not taken from the victim, A wedding ring, gold ring with red pebble and earrings were found on Mioara. However, her bag containing a small amount of money her husband had recently given her, personal documents and Mioara’s faux leather jacket were missing. 

The location where the body was found was a popular haunt for men to take sex workers. Both Police Commissioner Barbieru and prosecutor Beridne believed the motive was sexual. As I mentioned there was no clear evidence of a sexual assault  but it was presumed that Mioara had been raped. It was believed the killer was very familiar with the location of the disposal site. Until a few months before, the land where the body was found had been farmed regularly, but it had been ploughed and was no longer in use. The spot wasn't far from the road but was well hidden by vegetation. 

Police Commissioner Barbieru believed the killer of Mioara Manea was the same person responsible for the 2000 cases. Prosecutor Berinde believed this was a different killer. He felt the first three cases were committed by a killer in the act of robbery. This last case he felt was quite different and had a clear sexual motive. He pointed to the fact the jewellery had not been taken. Regardless of motive, the case went nowhere fast, and years passed without any real leads.

As I mentioned there have been several different prosecutors who have worked the case over the years. I believe Ovidiu Berinde died around 2009 and the case passed to Alice Ruja. Before passing Berinde had spoken of his frustration with the case and said that it had eaten up so much of his career, but at the same time he had never had enough time to really get to grips with the details. When Ruja took over she was keen to reignite the investigation as it had stagnated for several years. This process hit a major obstacle when it was discovered that four large cases containing evidence collected at the various sites where the bodies had been dumped had been lost and could not be located. 

Not to be put off, Alice Ruja commissioned a team of behavioural analysis specialists to go over the case files. The team's conclusion was that there were two killers. They believed the first three murders from 2000 were markedly different from the 2004 murder. The 2000 murders were motivated by robbery whereas in the 2004 case the motive was sexual. As mentioned this had been a hunch shared by Ruja’s predecessor, Berinde and was now adopted by Ruja herself. Police Commissioner Constantin Barbieru who worked on the case until his retirement in 2007 remained convinced that all four women were killed by the same person. Barbieru left the police force with this case still hanging over him. He had his suspicions regarding certain individuals but ultimately there was such a dearth of clues that it was impossible to build a case against anyone. In his view the lack of solid forensic evidence severely hindered the solving of the case. 

Over the next 6 or 7 years there were not many developments, though in 2016 the Romanian news site Adevarul did report that investigators had a suspect for the first three murders. They didn't name the person and said they had no hard evidence to bring charges. This same year I also came across an article on Adevarul which brought up the controversy concerning the identification of Maria Biru as one of the sets of remains found in December 2000 in Mitoc forest. It seems that prosecutor Alice Ruja also had misgivings about the matter. Analysis of the bones put the victim aged 20-25 but Maria was 46. The only way a person that age could have similar bones was if they suffered a particular health condition which Maria's family attested she did not. Maria also did not fit the victim type of the other murders in 2000. She was a lot older and shorter and heavier than the other victims. The article states a DNA comparison test was due to be carried out, presumably with members of Maria's family. I cannot find any more on this but only a year later Maria’s son talked to the media about the fact that his mothers remains had been sent to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Bucharest for testing but they had never been returned. From this I take it to mean that Maria's son now did believe that the remains did indeed belong to his mother. I'm sorry I am unable to shed more light on this matter.

A new suspect came into the mix following some incredible work done by police investigators in Austria and Germany.

On Friday June 2nd 2017 German police announced they had arrested a 40 year old Romanian man in connection with the 2016 rape and murder of 27 year old Carolin Gruber. Carolin was murdered whilst out jogging in the town of Endingen, Germany, a half an hour's drive north of Freiburg, and situated close to the French border.

At the time of his arrest, married father of three Catalin Dorinel Cioplan was living near Husi in Vaslui county, Romania, but his place of work was in Endingen, Germany. He was employed as a long distance lorry driver. Ciolpan was placed in handcuffs just as he had finished a shift and was about to visit a local shooting range. 

Over the next few weeks details of Ciolpan’s violent past would emerge,  firmly placing him as a suspect in the unsolved Vaslui hitchhiker murders. 

As a younger man Ciolpan had tried his hand at several businesses but they had all failed. He married in 2002 and at one point ran a grocery store with his wife. After an issue with the bank over a loan this venture also fell apart. Riddled with debt he decided to try and risk his hand with a move abroad. In 2006, when Ciolpan was in his late 20’s he relocated to Germany to make a home there for himself and his young family.

It is likely the decision to move to Germany also has something to do with the fact that the previous year he had very nearly murdered someone. 

On April 28th 2005 Ciolpan attacked a 23 year old woman in a block of flats in the Podu Ros neighbourhood of Iași, a city near the Romania/Moldova border. The woman, "L", originally from Băcau County, was a sex worker. Ciolpan made an appointment with "L" after seeing a  classified advert for her services. Ciolpan went to "L"’s fifth floor apartment and during a sexual act pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the chest. He then fled the scene leaving the young woman for dead. Luckily a neighbour happened to walk past the apartment and noticed the front door was open. The neighbour found "L" in a pool of blood and called an ambulance. It was touch and go for a while but after a successful operation "L"’s life was saved. 

Ciolpan spent three weeks hiding before Romanian police caught up with him and he was finally  arrested. The matter went to court on May 22nd 2005 where it was to be decided if Ciolpan would be charged with the offence of attempted murder. Cioplan disputed "L"’s version of events. He claimed he was attacked first by a third person in the flat who was wielding a club. He claimed he had only stabbed "L" in self defence. Ciolpan's wife gave a tearful testimony in defence of her husband's character saying he was needed to help take care of the couple's child. I believe the child was present in court. This plea seemed to influence the court. It was Ciolpan’s word against "L"’s. The court said there were inconsistencies in "L"’s story and  favoured the married father’s version of events. He was free to go. This was a decision that would prove to have drastic consequences.

After Ciolpan had been in Germany for a few years his wife and children moved back to Romania to reduce the family expenditure. At some point the couple separated for a time but later reconciled. Ciolpan stayed in Germany and worked as a truck driver across Europe. This freedom afforded him the opportunity to strike again. 

On January 12th 2014 20 year old French national Lucile Klobut disappeared while visiting a friend's house in Kufstein Austria. Lucile was studying in the city as part of the Erasmus student exchange program. Her body was found a short time later on the banks of the River Inn. Lucile had been sexually assaulted and beaten to death with a metal bar. Austrian police searched the river and found a metal crowbar. It was the type used on heavy trucks. Investigators suspected this could mean the killer  was a lorry driver. 

Fast forward to 6th November 2016 when 27 year old Carolin Gruber disappeared while out jogging in Endigen, Germany. Her battered body was found four days later. Like Lucile, Carolin had been raped before being beaten with an iron bar. A bottle had also been used in the attack. Immediately the similarities with Lucile's murder in Austria was obvious to both German and Austrian police. A male DNA profile found on Carolin’s body matched a DNA profile found at Lucile Klobut’s crime scene. It was the same killer.

Austrian and German investigative teams worked on the theory that the killer was likely a truck driver. Austrian police trawled through Kufstein toll barrier records from Saturday 11th to Monday 13th January 2014. (the weekend Kucile Klobu was murdered)tThey found that 5000 trucks had passed through the toll during that time. They were convinced one of the drivers was their guy. All 5000 drivers were checked. Driver 4334 on the list was Catalin Ciolpan.

Investigators noted that Ciolpan worked for a company in Endigen, Germany which was where Carolin Gruber had been murdered. After finding this out, they closed in on Ciolpan. In early 2017 investigators were able to compare the male DNA found at both crime scenes with that of Ciolpan. It was a match. Over the next few months they began building a case against Ciolpan including obtaining mobile phone records which put him at the locations of the crimes. He was eventually arrested in early June 2017.

After his arrest, neighbours of Ciolpan were asked for their reaction to the news. They were shocked he had been arrested for murder but none of them spoke highly of the man. He was not liked. Stories also emerged concerning rumours about Ciolpan and the death of an elderly relative from whom he had inherited property. As far as I can see, no concrete evidence has been produced regarding this matter. More substantiated reports accused Ciolpan of harassing a young woman whom he was said to be sexually obsessed with.

Within days of his arrest Tyrolean state officer for criminal investigations Walter Pupp (part of the Austrian investigative team) stated that Ciolpan could well be responsible for other serious crimes. There was particular concern he may have as yet unattributed sexual assaults or murders in Romania. Vaslui County Prosecutor Alice Ruja was immediately interested in seeing if there was a possible connection to the 2004 murder of Mioara Anuta Manea. If you remember, Ruja thought a different killer was responsible for the murders committed in 2000. Some in the media maintained that Ciolpan should be looked into for these murders too. In a moment I will detail the arguments that put forward Catalin Ciolpan as the Vaslui serial killer, but first I will outline what happened to Ciolpan after his arrest.

Despite the DNA evidence,Ciolpan initially denied any involvement in the murders of Lucile Klobut and Carolin Gruber.His trial for Carolin Gruber’s murder went ahead in December 2017. In court Ciolpan admitted to her murder but says he was shocked by his own actions. He added that what he had done was unforgivable but denied there had been any sexual motivation for the crime. He was found guilty and given a life sentence. In Germany 15 years is the earliest time at which a convicted murder can expect to be released. The presiding judge filed for a special injunction which would keep Ciolpan behind bars for longer before he could seek parole. In June 2020 he was found guilty by a court in Austria for the rape and murder of Lucile Klobut. Ciolpan put in multiple appeals, the final one being denied in 2021. He remains in prison in Germany. It is unlikely he will ever get out.

So is Catalin Ciolpan responsible for the Vaslui hitchhiker murders? He did not come up in the investigation in 2000 or 2004. In the year 2000 Ciolpan was in his mid-twenties and is believed to have been living in Galați, though he often travelled to Husi. This would take him along the same route where the four women were murdered. Both neighbours and his own father have spoken to the media saying that during this period he owned a white Dacia Papuc which he used to carry wood from the forests to sell in the towns and cities. He was well-versed with the geography of the area.

As Ciolpan’s 2005 attack on "L" proves, he used sex workers. Two of the locations where the bodies were found were well known haunts for sex workers and their clients. 

All four women who were killed were experienced hitchhikers. They were careful with whom they travelled. In a lot of the reports I’ve read Ciolpan is described as coming across as very normal, mild mannered and certainly not someone you would expect to be violent. In my research I kept reading that Ciolpan did not have the face of a criminal.

Journalist Adriana Operea-Popescu writing on the Romanian news site Active News in October 2017 points out the murders coincide with changes in Ciolpan’s life. After the 2000 murders Ciolpan met his wife and they were married in October 2002. This relative stability and contentment led to a break in the killings. In 2004 Ciolpan became a father for the first time which may have led to increased stress and upheaval. This coincided with the murder of Moiara Manea in 2004 and the attack on "L" in 2005. He then moved to Germany when the murders stopped again until his family moved back to Romania. 

The injury Mioara sustained to her face, (remember reports stated her face was disfigured), is in keeping with the way Ciolpan beat his known victims Lucile Klobut and Carolin Gruber. There are obvious differences, for example Marcela Tomozei and Mioara Manea were strangled, and there was no obvious cause of death in the cases of Maria Biru and Safta Ciubotaru but journalist Adriana Operea-Popescu makes the point that serial killers do evolve and adapt. 

Obviously a lot of this is circumstantial and in the realm of speculation. Saving a confession only DNA or other forensic evidence could definitely link Ciolpan to the crimes. In the 2000 cases we know no DNA evidence exists but in 2017 prosecutor Alice Ruja did announce that in the case of Mioara Manea in 2004 they had managed to develop a male DNA profile from her clothes. Alice Ruja said  they would be comparing the DNA sample to Ciolpan’s DNA. After Ciolpan’s arrest his DNA was uploaded to a European database by German police which can be accessed by the Romanian authorities. 

As far as I am aware the results of this testing have never been released. Ciolpan has never been charged in connection with any of the Vaslui hitchhiker murders, though he remains a suspect. Ciolpan himself denies any involvement in these crimes.

The murders of Marcela Tomozei, Safta Ciubotaru, Maria Biru and Mioara Anuta Manea are barely known outside Romania. From what I have detailed in this episode it is evident how many people's lives have been destroyed because of these crimes. If a DNA profile truly exists from the 2004 murder of Mioara Anuta Manea then that does provide a glimmer of hope that one day soon, her killer can be identified. Perhaps then we may also get answers about the crimes committed in 2000 and see the Vaslui hitchhiker murders solved.

Sources

https://tinyurl.com/2cr9cnkm