Wurst possible outcome: German burglary case is solved using DNA from half-eaten sausage left at the scene in 2012 – but red tape means crook will be let off
- German officers in Schwelm never solved the case despite finding the DNA
- An Albanian man, 30, has been arrested in France on an unrelated case
- He matched the DNA from the sausage but the statute of limitations has expired
German police say they have solved a nine-year-old burglary using DNA found on a half-eaten sausage.
Officers in the western town of Schwelm said the DNA on the food matched that of a man detained in France over an unrelated crime.
The 30-year-old Albanian had a bite of the sausage which belonged to the victim, police said.
German police say they have solved a nine-year-old burglary using DNA found on a half-eaten sausage (file image)
The break-in took place in March 2012 and detectives had been stumped for years over the mystery sausage bandit.
It wasn’t clear what type of sausage – known in Germany as wurst – the burglar had nibbled, though police said it was a hard variety.
Investigators were recently alerted that French police had taken a matching DNA sample.
Officers in the western town of Schwelm (pictured) said the DNA on the food matched that of a man detained in France over an unrelated crime
A man had been arrested in France over an unrelated violent crime.
But Schwelm police said the suspect remains free and, in the wurst case, he may escape punishment.
The statute of limitations on the burglary has expired, meaning he will likely not be extradited to Germany.