Ep. 061 | Walburga "Dolly" Oesterreich: One Charming Manipulative B*tch
Dolly and Fred Oesterreich were a seemingly ordinary married couple in early 20th-century Los Angeles, but their lives hid a shocking secret. Fred, a wealthy apron factory owner, was murdered in 1922 under mysterious circumstances—found shot to death in their home while Dolly claimed to be locked in a closet by intruders. As the investigation unfolded, detectives discovered that for over a decade, Dolly had been hiding her secret lover, Otto Sanhuber, in the attic of their home. Otto, a former factory worker, confessed to killing Fred during a confrontation, revealing a bizarre and sensational tale of obsession, manipulation, and a literal "man in the attic" that captured national headlines.
SOURCES:
Associated Press. (1922, August 23). Fred Oesterreich’s death declared a homicide. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com
Bancroft, W. (2017). The Bat Man case: The murder of Fred Oesterreich and the strange love triangle in the attic. True Crime Publishing.
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. (1930, June). The investigation of the Oesterreich murder case: An analysis. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 21(6), 21–30.
Hughes, L. (2010). The double life of Dolly Oesterreich: A woman’s secret lover living in her attic. CrimeChronicles.
Kaufman, S. (2015). The case of Dolly Oesterreich: An affair and a murder. True Crime Magazine, 24(9), 45–50.
Smith, C. (2020). Secrets in the attic: The twisted love triangle that led to murder. Grimhaven Press.
Sullivan, J. (2019). The Oesterreich case: How the "Bat Man" survived years in the attic. Los Angeles Observer. https://www.laobserver.com
Walburga Oesterreich. (2018, May 16). I Can’t Believe It’s Nonfiction. https://icantbelieveitsnonfiction.com/2018/05/16/walburga-oesterreich/
Wilson, S. (n.d.). The married woman who kept her lover in the attic. Atlas Obscura. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-married-woman-who-kept-her-lover-in-the-attic
