Fritz Herder

Fritz Alfred Gustaw Herder was a 49-year-old White man who stood 6 feet 2 inches tall with brown hair and brown eyes. His life was cut short in the early morning hours of August 30, 1981, in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington, Ohio.

That night, Fritz had been at the Gloria Restaurant, located at 2195 Riverside Drive. Just before the incident that would end his life, he was seen inside paying his bill. Witnesses observed him removing a large amount of currency from his pocket to settle the check. At around the same time, several people at the restaurant noticed two suspicious men peering through the front door.

At approximately 12:20 a.m., the Upper Arlington Police responded to a call reporting a stabbing at the restaurant. When they arrived, they found Fritz lying in the parking lot near the front entrance. A group of patrons had gathered around him. Officers also discovered a knife in the parking lot in close proximity to his body.

The investigation determined that Fritz had been stabbed multiple times by unknown assailants and died from his injuries. Investigators came to believe that robbery was the motive for the deadly assault. This theory was supported by the fact that the large sum of cash he was seen with earlier was missing; no money was found on his body or inside his vehicle. The two suspicious white men seen looking into the restaurant were the only lead, but their identities remained unknown.

No arrests were ever made in the case, and the assailants were never identified. More than four decades later, the homicide of Fritz Herder remains unsolved. Anyone with information can email [email protected].