Schaefer’s body was found near a railway track on Saturday. According to Wiesbaden prosecution's office, the deceased had committed suicide.
A few days before the incident, he had spoken about the ‘hopeless situation’ of the economy amid the coronavirus crisis. Hesse Premier Volker Bouffier, in a recorded statement, said that Schaefer had been working ‘day and night’ to help companies and workers handle the economic impact of the pandemic.
“It's precisely during this difficult time that we would have needed someone like him,” he said.
The deceased is survived by a wife and two children. He was considered a well-respected politician and was also predicted as a potential successor to Bouffier.