The spokesperson at Kiel’s general court has confirmed the matter, telling a local web-site, Kieler Nachrichten, that the body of the witness was discovered in the restroom three days after the originally scheduled date of the hearing. The court session was due to take place on October 29, but the judge postponed it when the defendant didn’t show up. When the 70-year-old witness was called, it turned out that he was also missing. The court then tried to phone him for several days without success.
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Just three days lated, following Reformation Day, the local public holiday, a keeper noticed that one of the toilet cabins had remained locked for days. The missing witness was discovered dead there in a sitting position. The authorities suspect that a heart failure had caused the man’s death; however, an autopsy must be conducted to clarify this.
Nobody is said to have noticed that the retired man had gone missing except the court, as police weren't informed of his disappearance.