Uninvited Guests as Bad Omens

The origins of this case go back several years: Mr Weiland, the client of Kurtz Investigations Munich, had been visited multiple times in his apartment by Russian and Ukrainian individuals, without having invited or even knowing them. In hindsight, Mr Weiland and our detectives in Munich now suspect that these Eastern European visitors were scouting his apartment and habits in preparation for a burglary or robbery. This conclusion seems likely, as Mr Weiland was indeed attacked in his own home by unknown individuals shortly after these visits. Apart from the indication of the possible origin of the suspected perpetrators, there is to this day only one clue: a handbag left by the intruders on Mr Weiland’s property.

Highly Unusual Handbag as Starting Point

The task of the investigation by Kurtz Private Detective Agency Munich is now to determine the origin of the handbag in order to draw conclusions about the perpetrators’ origin. If it were a commonplace product, such an investigation would, of course, be largely pointless. However, this is a very special model: the material is undoubtedly leather, or at least leather-like, yet of a texture never before seen by Mr Weiland or anyone at Kurtz Investigations Munich. A stitched emblem, strongly reminiscent of the luxury brand Louis Vuitton but slightly altered, adorns the front. The bag is lined with velvet. The combination of these features is extremely unusual, which is why our private detectives from Munich—and Mr Weiland himself—hope to gain insights by determining the manufacturing region.

Material Puzzles Even Experts

To gain an initial hint, the lead investigator from Kurtz Investigations Munich visited several common handbag shops in the city centre and questioned the sales staff or, if present, the branch managers. No one knew of such a bag, and no one could identify the material. Consequently, the detective visited several fur shops, where he was again told that the material was entirely unknown. Suggestions ranged from cowhide to snakeskin. Further inquiries to suppliers and manufacturers of leather and textiles were mostly answered, but no one could provide information on the material of the handbag.

 

Ultimately, our detective in Munich was referred to a leather specialist: the leather goods atelier "Jeannette" in Leipzig. The owner, a trained fine leather craftsman, kindly examined the handbag. In his assessment, it was most likely made from lizard leather. He ruled out snakes and other animals typically used for leather goods. Furthermore, he was able to narrow the production period to 1950–70. The velvet lining supports this assessment, as it was commonly used during that era. The manufacturer is estimated by the expert to be from Southeast Europe or Russia, though he is not entirely certain, as he has only seen velvet linings from Italy before.

Investigation of the Zipper

The zipper of the leather handbag is marked with the letters FES. This abbreviation could indicate a connection to the Turkish Friedrich Ebert Foundation. However, the foundation provides no information. Even the specialist from Atelier Jeannette was unfamiliar with this marking in relation to zippers. According to him, during the suspected production period, there were many small manufacturers with their own markings, most of which have since been forgotten. The specialist provided the name of the zipper manufacturer he works with for his own creations, but unfortunately, even they were unfamiliar with FES. Our private detective from Munich contacted numerous other manufacturers of zippers and leather goods, but received no useful leads, as FES was unknown to all.

Investigations at Louis Vuitton

To determine whether the handbag was an old Louis Vuitton model with a previous version of the brand logo or a poor imitation of the current logo, our Munich private detective contacted the world-famous luxury brand. This was initially done via email to the company’s German business department, describing the situation—no response was given. Growing impatient, our investigator reached out to Louis Vuitton via their Facebook page, receiving only the sparse information that the handbag was not a product of the brand. Expecting more assistance—after all, licensed manufacturers generally wish to protect against counterfeits—he finally contacted customer service by phone. There he was told that management would need to review the matter.

 

Since our Munich economic detective still received no response from Louis Vuitton, he tried again by phone, only to be connected to an advisor unwilling or unable to understand the issue. Louis Vuitton claimed they had no responsibility without a purchase receipt for the handbag. After some back and forth, our investigator impatiently explained that robbers generally do not leave receipts when ransacking houses, but Louis Vuitton could help in solving a crime if they wished. The employee refused any assistance or to forward the matter to a more helpful department. Kurtz Economic Detective Agency Munich therefore reluctantly abandoned the Louis Vuitton inquiry.

Meeting with an Expert

Finally, our Munich detective contacted a leather goods appraiser. The expert examined the handbag and stated that even he could not contribute to identifying the material or the origin. He had not seen such a bag in over 20 years. At this point, for Kurtz Private Detective Agency Munich, all known investigative avenues were exhausted, and the case had to be closed without a conclusive result. Any helpful information is greatly appreciated—please contact us at +49 89 7007 4301 or kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de.

Certain names and locations have been altered to ensure complete anonymity.

 

Kurtz Detective Agency Munich

Landsberger Straße 155 | Haus 1

D-80687 Munich | München

Tel.: +49 89 7007 4301

Mob.: +49 163 8033 967

E-Mail: kontakt@kurtz-detektei-muenchen.de

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