The Relentless Pursuit of Justice: Andre Bombki's 30-Year Quest for His Daughter Kinka

In 1982, the life of 44-year-old French accountant Andre Bombki was upended when he received a devastating phone call from his ex-wife Danielle. Their 14-year-old daughter Kinka had unexpectedly died in her sleep while staying with Danielle and her new husband, Dr. Dieter Krombach, in Germany. What followed was a 30-year crusade by Andre to uncover the truth and bring those responsible for Kinka's death to justice.

The Mysterious Death of Kinka Bombki

On July 9, 1982, Kinka Bombki spent the day windsurfing on Lake Constance near her mother's home in Lindau, Germany. She returned home around 5 PM, mentioning she felt tired but otherwise seemed normal. The family had dinner together at 7:30 PM before retiring to bed.

The next morning, Dr. Krombach went to wake Kinka for a planned horseback ride, only to find her unconscious in bed. Despite his attempts to revive her with various injections, Kinka was already dead. Krombach suspected she had died from heatstroke, though the temperature had only been around 29°C (84°F) the previous day.

When Andre Bombki learned of his daughter's death, he was immediately suspicious. Kinka was a healthy, athletic teenager with no underlying medical conditions. How could she have possibly died in her sleep from heatstroke?

The Initial Investigation

Two days after Kinka's death, German pathologists performed an autopsy. They noted Kinka's overall good health but found evidence she had vomited in her sleep and choked. The estimated time of death was between 3-4 AM on July 10.

Dr. Krombach told police he had given Kinka an injection of Kobalt-Ferrlecit, an iron supplement, before dinner to help her tan more easily. He claimed to have checked on her around midnight and saw her reading in bed. The next time he saw her was at 9:30 AM when he found her unconscious.

The local prosecutor reviewed the case and determined no foul play had occurred. Kinka's file was closed, leaving her family to grieve what appeared to be a tragic accident.

A Father's Suspicions Grow

Andre Bombki couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right about his daughter's death. At Kinka's funeral, he overheard whispers that she had died from the iron injection Krombach had given her. This was the first Andre had heard about any injection.

After months of requests, Andre finally obtained a copy of Kinka's autopsy report. What he read left him stunned:

• The exact cause of death couldn't be determined
• There were multiple injection sites on Kinka's body
• Fresh blood was found around Kinka's genitals
• A superficial tear was noted on her labia
• A white substance was present inside her vagina

Incredibly, no toxicology tests had been conducted, and the white substance hadn't been analyzed. To Andre, it sounded like Kinka had been drugged, raped, and possibly murdered. If true, there was only one suspect - Dr. Dieter Krombach.

The Battle for Justice Begins

Andre Bombki contacted German prosecutors and demanded Kinka's case be reopened. His request was denied. Undeterred, Andre hired a renowned lawyer who convinced authorities to review the autopsy findings.

In November 1982, experts from the Munich Forensic Institute examined the evidence. They questioned Krombach's use of Kobalt-Ferrlecit as a tanning aid, noting it should only be used intravenously for severe iron deficiency anemia. They suspected Kinka may have had an adverse reaction to the injection, gone into shock, and choked on her vomit.

However, the timeline didn't add up. An adverse reaction would have occurred shortly after the injection, not 7-8 hours later as the original autopsy suggested. The reviewing team also questioned the tear on Kinka's labia, which one pathologist claimed occurred postmortem due to decomposition.

While these findings weren't enough to reopen the case, the discrepancies only strengthened Andre's resolve to uncover the truth.

A Father's Desperate Measures

In September 1983, Andre traveled to Lindau and distributed leaflets accusing Dr. Krombach of killing Kinka. He was arrested and sued by Krombach for defamation, resulting in a hefty fine. Undeterred, Andre mailed copies of the leaflet to hundreds of Bavarian officials.

The publicity finally led to a new investigation. Fresh forensic experts agreed Kinka likely died from the iron injection and that Krombach's resuscitation attempts occurred long after she had died. However, German officials claimed they couldn't reexamine Kinka's genitals for evidence of sexual assault, as her organs had supposedly been returned to France with her body.

Andre discovered he could file a criminal complaint against Krombach with the French courts. A French investigation was launched, but German officials refused to allow the French magistrate to investigate on German soil.

New Evidence Comes to Light

In December 1985, Kinka's body was exhumed for additional examination. To everyone's shock, the organs removed during her autopsy, including her genitals, were missing from the coffin. The German forensic lab that handled Kinka's remains could provide no trace of them.

Without access to crucial evidence, the German courts ruled there was insufficient proof to charge Krombach. The case seemed to have hit a dead end.

Years passed as Andre exhausted every legal avenue available. Finally, in 1988, French forensic experts were able to examine tissue samples from Kinka's body. They concluded she had died as a direct result of the iron injection Krombach had given her, with nothing in her medical records indicating she was anemic.

In April 1993, nearly 11 years after Kinka's death, the Paris Court of Assizes charged Dr. Dieter Krombach with killing Kinka. However, German law prevented Krombach from being prosecuted outside the country. He was essentially a convicted killer allowed to walk free, provided he stayed in Germany.

A Shocking Turn of Events

In 1997, Krombach was arrested for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old patient named Lara. He initially denied the allegation but changed his plea after DNA evidence proved his guilt. To the outrage of many, Krombach received only a two-year suspended sentence.

The Lara case led other victims to come forward, including two sisters who claimed Krombach had drugged and assaulted them on a trip to France years earlier. Public condemnation reignited discussion about Kinka's death.

Andre quit his job to devote all his time to pursuing Krombach. He visited police and customs posts throughout Austria and Switzerland, handing out dossiers containing Krombach's photo and details of the allegations against him.

A Father Takes Matters Into His Own Hands

In October 2009, German police received a call about a man found bound and gagged in the French town of Mulhouse. It was 74-year-old Dieter Krombach, who claimed he had been kidnapped from his home in Germany by Russian-speaking men and driven across the border.

Krombach insisted Andre Bombki was behind the abduction. While Andre denied involvement, police found €19,000 in cash in his hotel room. Investigators soon uncovered links between Andre and the alleged kidnappers.

Andre eventually admitted to knowing about the plan but claimed he wasn't directly involved. He said he felt compelled to act, knowing there were only a few years left before the statute of limitations on Kinka's case expired.

Justice at Last

Regardless of how he ended up in France, the arrest warrant for Krombach was still valid. It was announced he would face a retrial in Paris for Kinka's death.

New forensic analysis of Kinka's tissue samples revealed the presence of a powerful sedative, conclusively proving she had been drugged the night she died. Several of Krombach's sexual assault victims came forward to testify against him, including his ex-wife Danielle, who now believed he had drugged her as well.

In October 2011, nearly 30 years after Kinka's death, Dieter Krombach was found guilty of causing violence towards Kinka that resulted in her unintentional death. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Outside the courtroom, Andre Bombki told reporters: "Of course my first thought is for Kinka. I have achieved what I promised - a complete and fair trial. Justice has been done in her memory and I will be able to mourn for her."

The Aftermath

In May 2014, Andre faced his own trial for his role in Krombach's kidnapping. He was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and complicity in aggravated assault but cleared of orchestrating the abduction. Andre received a one-year suspended sentence.

Krombach spent the next few years appealing his sentence on medical grounds. In February 2020, after serving just six years, his sentence was suspended due to health issues. He passed away in September 2020 at the age of 85.

Opinions remain divided on Andre Bombki's actions. Some view him as a hero who stopped at nothing to get justice for his daughter. Others argue that vigilantism can never be condoned, regardless of the circumstances.

For Andre, all that matters is that he fulfilled his promise to Kinka. When asked what he would say to a father in a similar situation, he responded: "I would tell him, as it's been 39 years, don't waste your life. I fought like Don Quixote against windmills. I got justice for Kinka, but honestly, these battles are extreme."

He added: "I hope that Kinka is in heaven and that she knows about everything I did for her. I think that she deserved it."

Andre Bombki's unwavering 30-year quest for the truth serves as a powerful reminder of a parent's love and the lengths one father was willing to go to honor his daughter's memory. While his methods were controversial, there's no denying the impact his persistence had in finally bringing Kinka's killer to justice.

Article created from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AIJmSa1z00