Brit Rolls-Royce designer stabbed to death in Germany may have been killed by high-value car thief after spying on his £3m mansion, cops fear as manhunt continues
- Ian Cameron was found dead after an unknown assassin attacked late Friday
The British Rolls-Royce designer stabbed to death in Germany may have been killed by a car thief targeting his £3million mansion, police suspect as questions continue to mount around the mystery killing late last week.
Ian Cameron, 74, was discovered at his home in Lake Ammersee in Upper Bavaria on Friday evening, with local media reporting he had been stabbed.
Investigators now believe the elusive assailant rang the doorbell to Mr Cameron's home and attacked him when he opened the door, forcing his wife, Veronika Kloos, to flee to safety over a wall.
Suspicions were raised that the designer was deliberately targeted when it emerged the cables to CCTV cameras over the garages where his high-value vehicles were kept had been cut.
Police have made swift progress in their manhunt, drawing on witness testimonies and footage from a supermarket that they believe shows the killer shortly before the murder.
'We are following all possible leads and are confident that the suspect will be apprehended soon,' said a police spokesperson.
Ian Cameron, a former top designer for Rolls-Royce, was killed at his home last week
Police understand that the killer rang the doorbell at Mr Cameron house in Herrsching am Ammersee before attacking him
Some 30 officers have been deployed to assist in the ongoing hunt for the attacker, whose motives remain unknown.
Neighbours provided a description of the perpetrator, which police will compile with other emerging evidence.
They recalled that the suspect was between 1.80 and 1.90 meters tall (5ft 9in - 6ft 2in), wearing light-colored trousers and a dark blue hooded sweatshirt.
Before the crime, the killer is said to have been shopping in the Edeka supermarket on Seestraße.
Surveillance cameras caught the suspect at the store, just 0.8 miles from the designer's house, shortly before the attack took place.
CCTV footage emerged of the killer in the supermarket shortly before the killing carrying a red rucksack and green-yellow gloves.
After police sent drones and even a police helicopter to search for the murderer, they found the rucksack, which is now being analysed for usable DNA traces, a crucial step that could provide a breakthrough in the case.
Super-recognisers, specialists with the ability to recognise faces even in poor-quality images or when perpetrators wear masks, are also being brought in to help identify the suspect.
The investigation team has now extended the manhunt to the whole of Germany.
Officials hope that new evidence from the rucksack and CCTV footage will soon lead to the arrest of the perpetrator.
Despite the developing leads, the search had initially faced setbacks.
Due to heavy rain on Friday evening, the police helicopter could not take off immediately, leading the search to be conducted with drones instead.
The day after the crime, divers and dog handlers scoured the area, so far without success.
Police understand that the killer rang the doorbell of the house in Herrsching am Ammersee before attacking him on Friday evening.
When Cameron opened the door, the stranger attacked him.
Cameron's wife fled over a wall to evade the attacker, finding refuge with neighbours who called the emergency services.
A short time later, the designer was found dead.
Verena Kloos managed to get to their neighbour's house and phone the police
Mr Cameron and his wife, Veronika Kloos, lived in a £3m home in Herrsching, Bavaria (File)
Investigators discovered that the CCTV cameras above the garages to the house had been disabled, with the wires having been cut.
An officer told The Sun it is 'extremely rare' that a burglar who prepares enough to disable CCTV then 'stabs and kills' a person.
Police labelled it a 'violent crime' and said the attacker fled on foot from the house.
Ian Cameron was a revered figure in the automotive industry, having left a lasting legacy at Rolls-Royce with his groundbreaking designs.
Before retiring from the company in 2013, he was championed for his work on luxury cars, including the 3 Series, Z8, Phantom and Ghost.
His untimely death has shocked the small, quiet community on the shores of Lake Ammersee.
