On December 20, 1924, Denke was arrested after attacking a man at his house with an axe. Police searched Denke's home and found human flesh in huge jars of curing salts. A ledger (record book) contained the details of 30 people Denke had murdered and cannibalized (eaten) over the years. Police thought he sold the flesh of his victims at the Breslau (today's Wrocław) market.