Who Killed Ötzi the Iceman and Why?
The Copper Age Cold Case that Can’t be Closed
In September of 1991, a unique natural wet mummy was discovered in the Ötzal Alps, near Similaun mountain and Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy. At first, the mysterious mountain man and his remains came to be known as “the Iceman”, since he was found frozen in ice. However, because he was discovered in the Ötzal Alps he was named “Ötzi”. More importantly, since the mummy was found, the one-of-a-kind corpse has been extensively examined, measured, and dated by numerous scholars. For instance, an isotopic analysis was used on his teeth enamel to determine the geographic source of the water he drank when he was growing up as a child. This proved that he was born in the Vinschgau region, but he died much further north in the Southern Alps, as shown in the map below. Still, even after all these years, and everything that has come to be known, the true nature of his life and the precise circumstances of his death remain subjects of continued investigation and speculation. With that in mind, I would like to closely examine the coldest case in true crime history by describing the events that I think led up to Ötzi’s world-famous death and the subsequent discovery of the oldest intact body that has ever been found.
