Police confirm German priest death

Tien-Hsiang Chen ling, a member of the Chaojhou police department in Pingtung County, was assigned to find out the truth at the request of Father Sebastian M. Heuken's family members, who wanted any documents that could prove Heuken's death.

According to Heuken's younger brother Karl, the priest had worked at a Catholic church in Chaojhou since his arrival in Taiwan in 1960.

Karl said his brother reportedly died in a traffic accident and was buried in the small town, but he questioned the report's accuracy because he never received his brother's death certificate.

Tien-Hsiang said it was the most difficult case he had ever investigated because there were no clues indicating the priest's existence.

“I could find nothing at local household offices, other police stations and traffic police divisions,” the police officer said. After turning to local churches, he finally discovered that the missionary's remains were buried at a Chaojhou church cemetery. Heuken's tombstone was engraved with Chinese characters reading “the tomb of Father Ho Li-chien” and his German name.

Tien-Hsiang said he also visited an 86-year-old Catholic nun from Switzerland in Pingtung's Jiandong Township who had worked with Heuken to gain first-hand information about the accident that led to Heuken's death.

Sister Germana Rotzetter told him that on the day of the tragedy, she and Heuken were each riding a motorbike on Provincial Highway No. 1 when Heuken collided with an oncoming cargo truck, the police officer said. Rotzetter recalled that she called for help, but when it came, it was too late.

Tien-Hsiang said he found out that Heuken's personal effects and his death certificate had been kept at a parish in Donggang but were eventually destroyed due to their old age.

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