--- description: A murder case gone cold was solved when a woman believed to be killed 31 years ago was found alive living under a false identity. title: 'Murder Victim' Found Alive in Germany After 31 Years image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A 'Murder Victim' Has Been Found Alive in Germany 31 Years After Vanishing by [Lisa Spear](/author/lisa-spear/) ## Lisa Spear Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 28, 2015 5:31 AM CUT by [Lisa Spear](/author/lisa-spear/) ## Lisa Spear Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 28, 2015 5:31 AM CUT A woman believed to have been [killed](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34376030 "undefined") 31 years ago in Germany has been found alive and well and living under a false identity. Petra Pazsitka went missing in 1984 from student housing in the northern German city of Braunschweig, where she was studying computer science, the BBC reports. Then aged 24, she had withdrawn money from her bank account and told her neighbor to look after her pet bird. A huge search effort turned up no clues and authorities declared her deceased five years later. Later, a man convicted of killing a missing teen nearby also confessed to Pazsitka’s murder, but he later retracted his confession. The mystery continued to baffle police until they stumbled upon the now 55-year-old while investigating a robbery. Pazsitka had no ID and confessed to police that she had been living under a fake identity in Duesseldorf, a city in the west of Germany. “As to the motive of her disappearance, she gave no explanation, and expressly said that she continues to want no contact with the public or her family,” a Braunschweig and Wolfsburg police spokesperson told the [_Independent_](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-murder-mystery-solved-when-victim-turns-up-alive-31-years-after-disappearance-a6668201.html "undefined")_._ Prosecutors [say](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-murder-mystery-solved-when-victim-turns-up-alive-31-years-after-disappearance-a6668201.html "undefined") Pazsitka has been officially declared alive and will not be charged with a crime. \[[_BBC_](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34376030 "undefined")\] ### Here Are Famous People Posing With Animals They've Killed  After serving as President of the United States in 1909, Teddy Roosevelt went on an 11-month, 2,500-mile safari. The expedition was funded as a scientific expedition by the Smithsonian Institution, according to the Theodore Roosevelt Association. On the trip, Roosevelt trapped or shot over 11,000 animals, including elephants, hippos, and white rhinos. Corbis  Prince Harry crouches over a water buffalo he shot and killed in South America in 2004. © SIPA/REX  Troy Gentry, of the country singing duo Montgomery Gentry, killed this captive black bear in Minnesota in October 2004\. He was sentenced to three months of probation and a $15,000 fine and was banned from hunting in Minnesota for five years.  Donald Trump, Jr., posing with a buffalo in Zimbabwe during a safari trip in 2012. Hunting Legends Africa  Eric Trump, son of Donald Trump, posing with a buffalo in Zimbabwe during a safari trip in 2012. Hunting Legends Africa  Justin Tuck, defensive end for the Oakland Raiders, told Outdoor Life about his enjoyment of the challenge of bow hunting. He also discussed his big game trip to Africa, where he shot a hartebeest, zebra, wildebeest, hyena and water buffalo.  Glenn McGrath, Australian international cricketer, posing with an elephant in Zimbabwe during a safari trip in 2008. Hunting Legends Africa  Miranda Lambert poses with a deer. She also was shown to kill an Alligator during an appearance on the Sportsman Channel's "Country Boys Outdoors,” in 2010. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4051501/murder-pazsitka-false-identity-german/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4051501/murder-pazsitka-false-identity-german/"},"headline":"A 'Murder Victim' Has Been Found Alive in Germany 31 Years After Vanishing","datePublished":"2015-09-28T05:31:25.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:28.528Z","description":"Petra Pazsitka paid her bills in cash to hide her identity","url":"https://time.com/4051501/murder-pazsitka-false-identity-german/","keywords":["Murder","Crime","Germany","Dead","german"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lisa Spear","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/lisa-spear/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4051501/murder-pazsitka-false-identity-german/","name":"A 'Murder Victim' Has Been Found Alive in Germany 31 Years After Vanishing"}}]}] ```