Margareta “Margrit” Gümpel was born in Bucharest in 1925 to a German mother raised in Switzerland and a Swiss father. After returning to Switzerland, she was placed in children’s homes and labelled intellectually disabled, though a teacher saw potential in her. Because she was considered German and her parents could not cover care costs, Zurich authorities threatened deportation. In 1935 she was sent to the St. Josef home in Herten, Germany. There she became vulnerable to Nazi “euthanasia” policies. On 21 August 1940, at age 15, Margrit was transported via Emmendingen to the Grafeneck killing centre and murdered under Aktion T4. Swiss records later suggested officials suspected the official cause of death was false.
