It was an amazing 115 years after Perrault released his statement when brothers Wilhelm and Jocob Grimm stood up to the public and spoke about their version of this Cold Case. Investigators were puzzled as to how their story was quite different to others as it is becoming quite different to the original story ‘Oral Tale’. Furthermore to the confusion, they restated their story another 45 years later in a less dramatised manner (Wikimedia Foundation 2006).

The Grimms are well known for their storytelling, so it was interesting for Bendigo Police to put another piece in the puzzle when they heard about their version. Investigator Stewart found that their story appeared to be quite traditional, yet when telling their story it seemed to change a bit due to their confusion (Orenstein 2002: 48). They portrayed Little Red Cap (not a hood) as a Victorian European girl and included the implications of seduction from Perrault’s story (Orenstein 2003: 55).

Jacob and Wilhelm stated that they saw a sweet little maiden with a red cap at her home. They overheard her mother telling her that she needed to take some gifts to her grandmother because she not very well. The brothers pointed out clearly that her mother stressed how important it was not to stray from the path or break the glass or else she will lose her virginity (Licht: 3 & 8).

The Grimms were then told by a huntsman (who Bendigo Police are yet to track down) what happened to the rest of the story. He said that she came across a wolf who was quite wicked but Little Red Cap was too naïve to know who he really was. He asked where she was going and Little Red Cap replied in great detail.

Then, the huntsman saw Little Red Cap walk off in amongst the flowers where she pottered around and made a bunch of flowers for her grandmother. The huntsman followed the wolf because he knew he wasn’t up to much good.

Bendigo police are convinced that Little Red Riding Hood had a duty to deliver goods to her ill grandmother as all witnesses were consistent with this part of the story. The only part that has confused the Police is how the endings are so different. Investigator Stewart was led to believe it depended on the culture that the witness was from as people can interpret things differently, depending on their upbringing (Licht: 10).

The huntsman was then led to believe that the wolf went to the grandmother’s house and pretended to be Little Red Cap. The grandmother didn’t know any different so she told him to ‘just lift the latch’. He took up the opportunity and swallowed up the old lady.

The huntsman was too afraid to interfere with the shocking scene he had seen so Little Red Cap walked into her grandmother’s open house. The Grimms said that she seemed to look frightened and lost when she entered. Furthermore, Little Red Cap was seen to be opening the curtains and asked about her grandmother’s defining features.

Looking through the opened windows, the huntsman saw the wolf jump out of bed and swallow Little Red Cap aswell. After such horrors, the wolf fell asleep snoring loudly. Investigator Stewart is still intrigued as to why the huntsman hadn’t intervened with the dreadful happenings. The Grimms couldn’t justify the situation either.

The huntsman went to check it out – he found the wolf. Instead of killing it, he slit the wolf’s belly open and out came the girl and the grandmother. Little Red Cap filled his body with stones so that when he woke he was too heavy to stand and fell dead to the ground.

Grandmother ate her cake and wine, the hunter skinned the wolf and Little Red Cap thought never to stray in the woods.

The biggest lesson that Little Red Cap learnt from that afternoon was obedience. It was the spiritual danger rather than the sexual danger that caused her to be more careful (Orenstein 2004).

Investigator Stewart said that the Grimms still had the happy ending (Bacchilega 1997: 57) like most versions, but it was what happened before the final ending that has got investigators concerned.

However, Jacob and Wilhelm said that Little Red Cap went to visit her grandmother another time. This time the wolf followed and tried to enter but they were too smart. He sat on the roof and waited. Red Riding Cap poured water that was used from cooking sausages in a trough. The smell enticed the wolf from the roof which made him fall off and drown in the trough.

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