Karl Denke (11 February 1860 – 22 December 1924) was a German serial killer and cannibal who killed and cannibalized dozens of homeless vagrants and travelers from 1903 to 1924. He is often regarded as The Forgotten Cannibal or The Cannibal of Münsterberg. Early life Denke was born on 11 February 1860 in Oberkunzendorf, north-east of Münsterberg, Silesia, in the Kingdom of Prussia (now Ziębice, Poland), to a family of German farmers. Little is known of Denke's childhood, but it is known that he was often described as a quiet and soft-spoken child who was difficult to raise. At the age of 12, Denke ran away from home. Later years After graduating from elementary school, Denke became the apprentice of a gardener, and made a life for himself. At the age of 25, Denke's father died and his older brother inherited their childhood home, while Denke received a portion of money, which he used to buy a piece of land. Denke tried farming, but this failed and Denke sold it as a result. Denke purchased a house on what is now Stawowa Street, but inflation forced him to sell it. Denke still refused to move out and lived in a small apartment to the right of the house's ground floor. He also ran a nearby shop where he sold meat (which most speculate to have contained human remains). Denke volunteered as a cross-bearer and organist at the local Lutheran church, and was well-liked in his community, often affectionately referred to as "Papa" by the community. Denke quit his membership in the church in 1906. Murders Karl Denke, for unknown reasons, began murdering homeless vagrants and poor travelers. His first known victim was Ida Launer in 1903. Six years later, in 1909, he killed 25-year-old Emma Sander (another slaughterhouse worker, Eduard Trautmann, was found guilty of her murder, but was released in 1926 after the truth was discovered). His last known victim was Rochus Pawlick. Denke also kept a ledger recording his murders. He is also believed to have sold the flesh of his victims as pickled meat to unsuspecting customers (advertised as pork). Arrest, suicide, and aftermath On 21 December 1924, Denke lured a homeless drifter named Vincenz Olivier into his home with the promise of twenty pfennig if he wrote a letter for him. Olivier had been directed to Denke by a townswoman, as Denke was known for his