Inge Roxin was born on August 22, 1939, in Lüneburg, the youngest of six children. After Inge was born, her parents, Anna and Eugen Roxin, moved into an apartment at Rotehahnstraße 4, a house they shared with the Petersen family. Mariechen Petersen, Inge’s neighbor, also became a patient in the »children’s ward« of the Lüneburg institution. She suffered the same fate.
Inge’s father, Eugen Roxin, worked as a swimming instructor and truck driver. His wife Anna was a cook. She was very conscientious and therefore complied with the reporting requirement for children with disabilities, which had been introduced four days before Inge’s birth. The Lüneburg medical officer to whom Inge was presented diagnosed »idiocy« and recommended her admission to the »children’s ward.«
Just a few days after her admission, Inge fell ill with fever and diarrhea. Treatment with an unapproved drug was initiated. It is unclear whether this drug was used to actually improve her health or whether the treatment was also for research purposes. Her mother and her sister Käthe, who was four years older, visited Inge regularly. Käthe’s visits are documented by two photos taken by a nurse shortly before Inge’s murder.
Inge Roxin died on October 20, 1943. The official cause of death was given as »purulent bronchitis,« but it is highly likely that she died of a drug overdose. At her parents‘ request, the three-and-a-half-year-old was buried in the central cemetery in Lüneburg.
In 2019, a Stolperstein was laid for Inge Roxin at Rotehahnstraße 4.
