WaPo Elbe

An emergency call from a yacht reaches the Elbaue on patrol. On board the drifting boat, the water police find a woman with a bloody knife in her hand—the perpetrator of a violent crime? It quickly becomes apparent that Rieke Malow is blind!She was on a company outing aboard the yacht with her boss Hartmut Weingärtner and colleagues Sabine Bähr and Ludwig Petrovic. When Rieke woke up below deck after a nap, she was alone on board and everything was covered in blood. An attack? The search for the company boss Weingärtner and Ludwig Petrovic is unsuccessful.Her colleague Sabine Bähr had left the yacht early and claims to know nothing about what happened. But then Weingärtner's body is found in the Elbe River. Stabbed to death. A story about abusive bosses, strong women, and "blind" love...

So-called "overfässer" (overfilled barrels) containing hazardous waste are repeatedly found floating in the Elbe River. When little Henry (12) pulls one of these barrels ashore, the WaPo is able to prevent disaster at the last moment: in addition to other chemical substances, this barrel also contains a bottle of mercury, which forms a life-threatening nerve toxin when combined with water.As long as the circumstances remain unclear, swimming and fishing are prohibited on the Elbe: environmental alert for the WaPo! The investigations lead to Mila Ahlers' recycling center, which is in financial trouble, the shady gold prospector Mirko Bode, and a defunct pharmacy where the supposed "artist" Freddy Bönisch is pursuing a suspicious business idea.In a showdown, the WaPo narrowly manages to prevent a mercury disaster in little Henry's playhouse of all places.

Sami witnesses Petra Meister being assaulted by two men on the banks of the Elbe in the evening. When Sami tries to protect the woman, a fight ensues and he shoots one of the attackers in self-defense. The other perpetrator initially manages to escape, but is arrested after a short search.During the confrontation, however, the victim suddenly claims not to recognize the attacker, a notorious petty criminal named Boris Frennzel. Sami, who is plagued by feelings of guilt and trauma over the fatal shooting, becomes increasingly entangled in the case.In the end, the WaPo's investigations reveal that Petra Meister is a victim in two senses and is willing to do anything for the welfare of her ten-year-old daughter Romy in order to remove her from the dangerous influence of her father Ralf Steiger.

A young climate activist from the group "World Angels" is found dead in the Elbe River. Kevin Holzer's injuries indicate a violent crime. The WaPo suspects folding boat manufacturer Robert Michels.

The body of a young woman who has been missing for 30 years is recovered from the Elbe River, encased in concrete inside a box. The WaPo is now dealing with a cold case from the post-reunification period.

Stella Behritz, the 18-year-old daughter of shipowner Wilhelm Behritz, is kidnapped by two women on a paddle steamer the morning after her birthday party. They demand €300,000 or Stella will die.

The WaPo finds a dead climber on the banks of the Elbe River. Forensic evidence reveals that Toni Stadler fell because his equipment had been tampered with. It seems that Dr. Jaschki is right: sport is murder. Stadler was an experienced climbing instructor, but before his last tour he had been arguing with his girlfriend Angie and his friend Ben, who is also the chairman of the climbing club.Did one of them get rid of Toni? Or was Kai Wischmann the culprit, whose wife fell during a climbing trip with Toni and has been in a persistent vegetative state ever since? And what is little Nele, one of Toni's students, hiding as she secretly hangs around near the climbing gym?

Timo Faiser, convicted in an old case involving Maike for domestic violence, bodily harm, and attempted manslaughter, reappears after ten years in prison and wants to build a new life as an ice cream vendor. But soon he starts harassing Maike, demanding to know where his now adult daughter Diana Neumann has been living since her mother's death. When Maike refuses to give Faiser this information, the brutal ex-convict and disappointed father kidnaps Maike's partner Doris to force a reunion with his daughter. Maike and the WaPo team embark on a daring pursuit to get Doris out of danger and confront the unpredictable perpetrator.

Three friends capsize in their canoe on Father's Day, and one of the men drowns. The WaPo initially assumes it was an accident. But then the dead man's cell phone reveals revealing photos of his canoeing buddy's wife.

During training, open water swimmer Tim Lehmann drowns under suspicious circumstances. The WaPo quickly realizes that it is a case of murder. The investigation leads to the training camp run by coach Rowitz.

During the "salmon patrol," the WaPo discovers a dead angler on the shore. The man was obviously stabbed to death. Were animal rights activists behind it, or was it perhaps a crime of passion?

A museum guard is found murdered on the nature-protected Elbe island in front of Pillnitz Castle. Shortly before, the WaPo saw a young boy fleeing the island. Could he have something to do with the victim's death?

A fisherman pulls the mummified body of an elderly man out of the Elbe River. The Washington Post takes on the case. A peculiarity in the wrapping of the body initially leads the officers to street vendor Friedrich "Fischerfritz" Zollner, who supplies his customers with fish specialties. Jana is ambushed and Moritz finds another body, this time in a freezer.It becomes clear that money was withdrawn from the accounts of both dead men after their deaths. Is this a serial killer who murders old people and then robs their accounts? Or is it simply a disgruntled widow?

A young woman is found dead on the banks of the Elbe River. The autopsy reveals that Lina Hilpert died of an overdose of the new designer drug "White Lightning." She presumably consumed the drug at the trendy club Štestí, just across the Czech border. The WaPo's investigation initially focuses on the members of a drug support group that Lina and her mentally unstable ex-boyfriend Oli belonged to. Is Lina's death the sad end to a relationship drama?For the group's leader, Marie Liu, the tragedy is primarily further proof of a scandalous failure on the part of the authorities. "White Lightning" is freely available due to a loophole in the law! And then there is Frieder Mertens, a dropout who was apparently in his trailer with Lina before her death. Was she having an affair with him? And why did Lina's ex-boyfriend Oli escape from the psychiatric ward on the day of her death? Little by little, the investigators piece together the mysterious puzzle and ultimately realize that everything was completely different than they thought: perpetrators become victims and victims become perpetrators.

On the Elbe River, 16-year-old Anna Nowak is struck by a motorboat and seriously injured. The WaPo soon realizes that this is not just a hit-and-run accident. Could Anna's father, a well-known scrap dealer, be involved in the incident due to his dubious business dealings? Or could it even be the attractive Bender from the water sports club where Anna trains with her friends? Because he has a score to settle with Anna's father. And why are there references to the local soccer club popping up everywhere? But the deeper the WaPo officers investigate the water sports club, the clearer it becomes that Anna is not entirely innocent. One girl in particular has suffered from Anna's humiliation: the quiet Marlene, daughter of a single mother who works as a ferry operator. But does that make her the perpetrator?

A boat belonging to the Czech water police pursues suspects into German territory—a clear violation of the rules, especially since the Czech officers are keeping the reason for the pursuit a secret. When the WaPo officers finally find the fugitive boat, one of the passengers is seriously injured. Worse still, she is a former colleague who attended police academy with Jana and Moritz. Maike and her team are left with many questions: Did the injured woman join drug smugglers after being kicked out of the German police force?