An Albany man has admitted to killing his elderly parents and hiding their bodies in the backyard of their suburban home. Lorenz Klaus, the son of Franz and Theresia Klaus, confirmed this in a recent interview, mentioning, “I buried them in their property.” This chilling revelation comes after his parents went missing in 2017.
During the interview with CBS6, Greg Floyd asked Klaus if he had hidden the bodies behind his house. “Yes,” he replied calmly. This confession was made just hours after police uncovered two bodies on the property.
Investigators began digging in the garden, initially uncovering one body on Wednesday, followed by a second the next day. Floyd pressed Klaus with tough questions, asking if he had suffocated his parents. Klaus appeared to invoke his rights, saying he would call for his “Fifth Amendment.” Yet, he nodded in response to the question.
Klaus detailed how he choked his father and then strangled his mother with ropes. The decision to bury them, he explained, took him several days. He seemed to frame his actions as merciful, citing their declining health and his belief that he was alleviating their suffering. He recalled difficulties they had faced—his mother struggling to cross the street and his father’s inability to drive post-surgery.
Originally, authorities were investigating Klaus for potential financial crimes when Social Security raised concerns about the couple’s benefits. When officers arrived at the home, they found no sign of Franz or Theresia, who were 92 and 83, respectively.
Klaus expressed, “I did my duty to my parents,” emphasizing that he was primarily concerned about their misery. His remarks during the interview were troubling, as he seemed to justify the murders. “I knew it was wrong to know what I had done,” he admitted, yet he continued to discuss broad issues affecting aging Americans.
After the interview, he left the CBS6 building but was quickly taken into custody. Interestingly, Klaus’s statements did not focus solely on the crime but also included bizarre plans about replacing government structures, suggesting a disconnect from reality. He bizarrely claimed that failure to accept his views could lead to charges under German law.
Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox confirmed that they are actively working to identify the remains found, though they suspect they belong to Franz and Theresia Klaus. Authorities are also trying to determine the cause of death. Police previously received welfare check requests from relatives back in February 2020, with neighbors suggesting Klaus had left the country.
