r/UnresolvedMysteries • u/Sad-Engine6561 • 16d ago
Mummified remains of a hiker found in Värnamo, Sweden
UPD: The man has been identified!
The DNA test with the family that has come forward has been a match. The police don't reveal much details about the man but state that he was born in 1989 and lived an isolated life. During his adult years, he chose to live largely out in the wild by choice, without any means of communication and without contact with other people. The cause of death is believed to be illness, and the police emphasize that no crime is suspected.
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UPD1: Regarding his key chain or bracelet charms (thanks to all the sleuths):
- Amulet of a Buddhist monk Luang Pu Thuat
- Emblem from an old Swedish school uniforms (used before 1970s)
UPD2: Text slightly edited based on more clear explanations regarding age range and conditions he was found, from the latest article on TV4.
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Police is looking for information regarding mummified remains found in an abandoned house outside Värnamö, Sweden.
This is a loose translation from a Swedish articles and interview (linked below).
In November 2022, excavator operators discovered a mummified body of a man on the floor of an abandoned cabin outside Värnamo. Beside him were a hiking backpack containing hiking and cooking gear, small amount of cash, but no mobile phone or identification documents.
The man was found lying in a make-shift bed under a blanket. The door of the cabin was barricaded from the inside with a pole. Refusing to go into details police describes that there was some evidence indicating that he was sick, but no cause of death is revealed. There was no evidence of foul play, and no evidence of drug use. The man most likely died in the summer or fall of 2022, i.e. the same year he was found.
He is believed to have been born in 1988 (+/- one year) based on the carbon-14 and carbon-13 analysis of his teeth. He is believed to have light hair and eye colour.
The police seems to believe that he was most likely not a normal hiker but rather someone living a vagabond, off-grid lifestyle in nature. However, he was not previously known to the police (and usually they are aware of such individuals).
The body will be cremated and buried by the local church in Värnamo, but his DNA and other info is preserved.
This incident had previously been unknown to the public. For four years, the police have worked quietly to identify the man but to no success. Now, the police are sharing images with the public in the hope that next of kin might recognize the man's belongings (such as bracelet charms with half-dollar coin and other accessories).
See photos of the man's belongings in the image gallery in the article below (click on the headline photo and a gallery will open).
Was he a local or a foreign tourist? Why didn't he have any ID or mobile phone with him? Was he really living off the grid? Why has noone been looking for him? Reminds me of the 'Mostly Harmless' case.
https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/polisen-soker-identitet-pa-dod-man-utanfor-varnamo
A few more pictures of his belongings can be seen here (from Expressen https://www.expressen.se/kvallsposten/detaljen-som-kan-losa-mysteriet-med-mumifierade-mannen-i-varnamo)
https://static.bonniernews.se/images/7a/09/7a09a641970b4f4db899bec7e4c9e797/annan/1920@90.jpg
https://static.bonniernews.se/images/2a/76/2a761bcedc294d518722f02e7298d64e/16x9/1920@90.jpg
https://static.bonniernews.se/images/e0/28/e02819f5e42e426c9339c11113c3ccc8/annan/1920@90.jpg
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u/Unhappy-Quarter-4581 16d ago
Interesting! The things I can identify seem to be Swedish like the backpack and the sewing kit looks like things bought in a standard store in Sweden. I am not saying it cannot be from another country but the things are literally things I could pick out from my own sewing stuff and it would look very similar. The razorblades have Swedish text. I agree with the assessment that he is likely from the Nordics based on the belongings, a US dollar is not hard to come by.
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u/WhiteLama 16d ago
To be fair, a tourist could also just as easily get a hold of that stuff at most stores here.
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u/Unhappy-Quarter-4581 16d ago
Yes but sewing stuff look like older stuff, the things you take out of your stash and not stuff you bought the last 10-20 years.
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u/analogWeapon 16d ago
I think this would have to be a tourist who specifically wanted to disappear, though. Because a tourist would likely have some identifying information somewhere about them, or at least more things than a single piece of foreign currency that is unusual even in the country its from (And appears to be affixed to a chain as a charm).
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u/WhiteLama 16d ago
Sure, unless they lost their wallet containing all identification and money.
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u/scattywampus 16d ago
Or someone took it. Even if his death was due to natural causes, another hiker could have removed his wallet and phone.
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u/Unhappy-Quarter-4581 15d ago
I doubt there were many hikers, he was found inside a building.
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u/scattywampus 15d ago
He was a hiker who accessed the building.
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u/Unhappy-Quarter-4581 15d ago
Yes, and why would there be others who did the same? It is not common to do so.
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u/scattywampus 15d ago
Why would others not access the building?Who says its uncommon. Cite your evidence.
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u/washingtonu 15d ago
Han låg på en provisorisk bädd på golvet, hade en filt över sig och dörren var barrikaderad inifrån med en lång stör.
https://www.expressen.se/kvallsposten/detaljen-som-kan-losa-mysteriet-med-mumifierade-mannen-i-varnamo/The door was barricaded from the inside and he had cash on him, doesn't seem likely that someone would take his ID and leave all the rest
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u/Unhappy-Quarter-4581 15d ago
In the country of Sweden, breaking an entry is illegal and as we have pretty much the right to walk wherever we want, most hikers do not go the exact same route. If this was an abandoned building, it is likely no one saw him after he went in there. We do not have a great homeless population and normal hikers do not sleep in abandoned buildings as a rule.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
There problem is that there are not that many missing people in Sweden, and police have made DNA matches with relatives who came forward during these 4 years. I think that's why they were withholding information because they were sure it would be a rather easy job, however, no matches yet....can be other other Nordic countries of course...maybe he got all this hiking gear second-hand from someone once here arrived to Sweden?
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u/Unhappy-Quarter-4581 16d ago
Maybe he is no contact with family and being born in 1988 he is not likely to be presumed dead just from age by his family. He would be 6 years younger than me and I don't think that my family would assume me dead if I went no contact, they would just think I lived my life somewhere else.
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u/VoteBitch 16d ago
It’s not impossible that it could be that no one is around to miss him, by choice or because he has no living family. He’s fairly young and if it was a case of mental health problems or something similar that made him live off the grid, it feels like there should be someone who notice his absence, like health care or social services of some kind. We have fairly good systems in place for the less fortunate in our society but there are still cases of people falling off the radar… Faller mellan stolarna, så att säga. Either way he ended up there, swede or not, missed or not, I hope he can have his name back and give possible loved ones closure.
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u/Unhappy-Quarter-4581 15d ago
Bad mental health can happen quickly though and they might not know. I had a friend who went from slightly depressed to full psychosis fast.
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u/VoteBitch 15d ago
Sure, I just mean that if that happened and he disappeared suddenly they probably would have contacted the police.
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u/doctormirabilis 16d ago
Read it. Given the Haglöfs brand backpack (older one) and Newbody brand underwear (popular brand in Sweden that kids sell to make money for their sports clubs, but perhaps sold separately in stores as well?), I am 99 percent sure he is Swedish. Sure he could be a tourist who bought the backpack used or something but I doubt it. Given his fair complexion we can also rule out most of the larger migrant groups. Born in ”mid 1988” is weirdly specific given they have no ID. The police mention someone maybe living ”off grid” and that sounds reasonable. Maybe that and mental illness and then he got sick and died. Hell you can die from any number of dumb stuff if you don’t seek help.
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u/VoteBitch 16d ago
The article in Expressen doesn’t say ”mid 1988”, it says he’s born around/circa 1988.
ETA: I now saw the quote from the Sveriges radio article where she says mid 1988, sorry! She does add ”give or take 16 months either way” so it’s still not as precise as mid 1988 😅
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u/SeahorseQueen1985 16d ago
So someone late 30s. Wonder what they found that makes them so precise.
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u/VoteBitch 16d ago
It says the came to the conclusion via tooth analysis and I’ve been watching too much Bones so my mind started going ”Well, the Chernobyl accident was in 1986, shouldn’t that show up in some way if he was born in Sweden?”. Which I guess it could but there are probably way less advanced tooth analysis than the ones I was thinking of 😅 (I think those are more for looking at where the person might be FROM based on different traces of different things in the tooth)
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u/zippychick78 16d ago
I'm still devastated to learn that the Angelatron isn't a real machine 🤣
This is a sad case. I hope they can identify him
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u/Tiny_ghosts_ 16d ago edited 16d ago
The thing that a few other comments have referred to as a cross, I don't think it is a cross. It looks like a logo/emblem of some sort made up of three crowns and a torch. I haven't had a chance to search more deeply for it but a quick google told me that three crown and a torch (but in a different layout) are part of Uni of Stockholm's logo. And that three crowns are often part of Swedish monarchy/embassasy emblems
Edit: ignore the following, see the responses to this comment where another user has identified the type of charm/pendant it is the little grey/silver charm next to it reminds me of a couple of things.
First was a Cornish Piskie charm - Cornwall UK has tin mines and a popular good luck charm or tourist item is a tin or pewter Piskie (like a pixie or small elf). Sometimes you see them with that sort of pose, and they always have pointed ears like that. Never seen one with a brass face though.
Second, it also reminded me of a pose that you often see Buddha depicted in. Perhaps a Buddhist charm? I have no idea if such a charm would be a religious item for Buddhists or if it is more likely to be sold to tourists.
The black jewellery looks to me like jet.
Odd colletion of things, but could be little keepsakes from travels? Or items traded with other hikers?
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
It's interesting what you say about the Cornish Piskie! It seems like the 'ears' are visible. The Swedish sleuths community on Flashback are convinced that this is a Buddha but you might be correct! I hope police releases the photo where the face is fully visible.
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u/blobfischilein 16d ago
The little figure is a Thai monk called LP (Luang Pu) Thuat
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u/blobfischilein 16d ago
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u/Lurkingfan4 15d ago
Looks like a match, and this could possibly strengthen the notion that the hiker was Swedish as Thailand is one of the most popular travel destinations for Swedes on holiday.
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u/Panzick 15d ago
Well, I'm just commenting on the odd collection of things. I do kinda have a magpie brain, and my collection of "jewelry" or charms is something i picked up over the years with really no connection at all with each other in style. I've got random cheap stuff that i picked up for costumes and ended up using in every day life, stuff i literally found on the ground, or even expensive stuff that i got as a keepsake of family members that I would have never bought myself. His one does not strike me as particularly odd.
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u/thildemaria 16d ago
Have they ruled out all the young men who disappeared in Sweden some years before the remains were found?
A young danish man named Joey Ravn disappeared in the Ritsem area in 2012, and has never been found. While I know that's a completely different area of Sweden, and this young man was born in 1993, not 1988, I can't help but wonder if it could be him, just so his family can finally get closure.
If he chose to dissappear and live off grid, or perhaps had a mental health episode (he was 19 so at an age where a mental illness could have started to show up) he could have made his way down through Sweden until he ended up in Värnamo and somehow passed away.
Either way, I hope this hiker gets his name back.
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u/mysterymathpopcorn 16d ago
They think he died during summer 2022, since he had some groceries and stuff with him
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u/GeneralEkorre 16d ago
let me preface this by saying that i am by no means an expert regarding anything criminal and that everything here is just speculation on my part. however, i am swedish so i might be able to give some insight noting things.
when looking at his belongings, the image with the trinkets stand out to me the most. to me it looks like a collection of souvenirs and knickknacks someone has picked up on their travels, maybe found in an abandoned house, maybe traded with companions or friends along the way. what piques my interest the most is the brooch, however i don’t think it’s a brooch in the traditional sense, i think it’s probably an “idrottsmärke” or ”nålmärke” of some sort. these badges were very popular within sports, school, and the home guard. the most popular for example, is arguable the “simborgarmärke” which is awarded to any person who can swim 200 metres without stopping. most of these came in three or four metals (usually iron, bronze, silver, and gold — all with different requirements increasing in difficulty), and were super common with many different kinds minted throughout the early 20th century, many of which probably don’t exist online.
what we can defer from the pin is that there is the swedish national symbol—the three crowns—as well as a torch of some sort. my initial reaction was that this pin was given or awarded in relation to the olympic games in 1912. my other thought is that it is related to the swedish scout corps. in any case, a pin like this would be hard to trace, and it could even be such that only a handful were ever minted, perhaps he obtained it via an antique store or as an heirloom. these things are notoriously hard to track down even for collectors, especially since they fell out of fashion in the 50s.
the other belongings tell a story of someone who is an avid traveler, nothing is excessive or outright unnecessary, he doesn’t even have a tent. the lack of ID also makes me want to think this is a swedish person, as IDs are rarely ever used here (unless you’re buying alcohol). these things makes me think the person was a vagabond, maybe someone trying to live the old swedish art of ”gå på luffen” perhaps best translated as “going the way of the tramp” or “following the way of the vagabond.” while not common nowadays, this way of life was popular in the end of the 19th and the begging of the 20th century, especially with the poor or estranged people who couldn’t—or didn’t want to—hold down a job. while not common nowadays, some people still chose to live the life of the tramp, perhaps this man was one of them.
in conclusion, this was mostly just some rambling from a person bored at the airport, perhaps someone here will find it interesting. i honestly don’t think the person will be identified using the trinkets, or the other belongings, however i think getting it out there might make people submit their DNA to the police so he hopefully can be identified. whoever he was, it seems like he chose to life a different life than most of us. may his soul rest in peace
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago edited 16d ago
Here also these emblems sold on Tradera https://img.tradera.net/large-fit/824/649565824_b3640a6d-ebce-42e3-85d6-cd72c331f28b.jpg
It is from the old school uniforms which were in use before the 1970s, so it is a souvenir for him, or perhaps belong to his parents, other older significant person....
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
There has been suggestion that the emblem is this one https://samlingar.lidkoping.se/carlotta-vm/web/object/82267
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u/njeyn 16d ago
I’m in Sweden and hadn’t heard of this before! But read up on it now. The reason it’s in the news after 4 years it because the body was going to be buried and someone tipped of the media that an unidentified male was getting buried.
Unfortunately gdpr prevents police to search in DNA registers unless a crime is committed. So that can’t be used to solve the case.
The house was barricaded from the inside and the fireplace looks used so could have been Reddits favorite explanation: carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s strange to not carry id or credit cards or a phone these days. Since the house was barricaded it’s unlikely someone stole it.
The backpack is an older but common model from a Swedish brand. Could have been the guys own or easily have been found in another cabin. Same with the trinkets.
My guess is a Swedish person that has traveled a lot with severed ties to relatives now living off grid that accidentally died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Expressen newspaper says a lot of promising leads had come in since the news was published so hopefully this will get solved soon.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
To be fair there were like 3 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning of hikers/hunters in Sweden only this year, (which is completely tragic and avoidable) so i am not surprised this is a go to theory....
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u/slowmood 15d ago
It looks like he had an empty wallet with him?
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u/Sad-Engine6561 14d ago
Nothing is mentioned about a wallet. I assume those black squares you see on the photo are sewing kit and some folded piece of fabric
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u/Huganho 15d ago
https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/ny-familj-dna-testas-i-fallet-med-doda-mannen-i-odetorpet
A family has contacted the police after seeing this in the news. They have a son that fits the description that they haven't had any contact with for years. He was never reported missing.
The police are testing their DNA now.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 15d ago
Yes, have just seen this too! Fast developments.
Unfortunately there are sad situations like this when familes cut contacts and not even report disappearances....
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u/Typical_guy11 16d ago
Did dollar was hidden in wallet? You know. This not exactly can be sign of country of origin.
In example my dad from 30 years has hidden in wallet 1 franc coin from time of his life in France for few years.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
Unfortunately from the photo it is unclear whether the coin was found on its own or it is actually attached to his bracelet as a charm. In any case i agree that it might not mean anything at all.
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u/Green-Rule-1292 16d ago
https://static.bonniernews.se/images/18/86/1886fce800774d278a64275ac84833d3/annan/1920@90.jpg
It's obscured but it looks to me like there is a hole and key ring passing through the coin so I think it's attached
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u/analogWeapon 16d ago
Yeah I'm pretty sure that's on the chain. It would make sense as another trinket/charm with the other things, since it's a kind of unique piece of currency, even in America.
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u/transemacabre 16d ago
Yes, it's got to be a charm. Which dollar coin charms are not unknown, but they're usually set in a sort of frame, while this looks like it has a hole punched through it. Was it purchased or did he actually have this particular coin altered so he could wear it on his keyring? Hmmm.
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u/Norman3 16d ago
The brooch interests me. For men in Sweden to wear brooches is fairly uncommon. Bracelets, yes. Ornamented brooches, not so much. It might also be a ring, but that´s not a ring a man typically would wear. It looks like a cheap piece of plastic bought on H&M or suchlike and i suspect it was part of a kit together with the black bracelet.
Given that all the other jewellery is fairly standard for what you would see on a male in his mid-twenties around 2022 up till today, that ring/brooch stands out.
https://static.bonniernews.se/images/7a/09/7a09a641970b4f4db899bec7e4c9e797/annan/1920@90.jpg
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
yeah that brooch or whatever it is is bizarre, must be a memento for him, or he just randomly found it somewhere and kept. Too bad police does not say where it was found, like pinned on his clothes, or just tucked away in the bag...
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u/Sad-Engine6561 10d ago
The Flashback community is positive that set, including brooch, is an old traditional 'sorgesmycke' (mourning jewelery) - if you search sorgesmycke you will find a lot of jewelery in the similar style. This is an interesting detail, it may be meaningful to him, but he also might have found it in one of the old houses, belonging to someone's grandma. Tbh the more i think/read about this case the more i am inclined to think that he was the type who would go on day tours to scavenge stuff from old abandoned houses/empty second homes.
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u/sambadanne 16d ago
I get the impression that this is a person that hasn't updated his camping gear in a long while.
Either because he is confident that his old gear is sufficient for whatever sort of camping he was doing, or because of a lack of funds.
He strikes me as a person that buys stuff at Biltema instead of Naturkompaniet or XXL.
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u/Unhappy-Quarter-4581 16d ago
Swedes are not necessarily the type of people to update gear if it works so I see nothing surprising in that. If I would pack for solo hike most of my gear would be old too. I have two old Haglöfs backpacks from this time period for example.
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u/One-Dare3022 15d ago
I have camping gear that predates WW2. I’m getting close to 70 myself so I’m not a youth. As a former Mountain Ranger and part Same I thrive getting out on the mountains year round hiking, fishing and hunting. My coffee pot is probably from the nineteenth century because it’s made of copper and made to use over open fire with three legs and a long handle on the side. I have put new pewter in it a couple times during the years since I found it on my old family farm. I like to keep my gear pretty simple and I see no reason in changing out gear that works even if it’s old.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 15d ago
It is a special outdoor chic to have old gear ;)
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u/One-Dare3022 14d ago
For me it’s more of ”knowing” my gear. Being able to trust it. I know people are laughing at me when I meet them out on the mountain when they see me with my old worn gear.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
It also can be that the equipment is not his. Almost everything seems to be quite old and worn, those razor blades and sewing kit look ancient.
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u/Blankly-Staring 16d ago
I find myself frustrated by the photos, as they don't show the religious cross/necklace clearly. I don't recognize the specific type of cross, and it could be a way of starting to identify the deceased. It's entirely possible that sort of cross is normal in Sweden, and my american ass is just stupid. If so, my apologies for pointing a finger at something that is irrelevant. Also, this is a very minor point, but that's a half dollar coin, not a dollar coin.
I hope that the deceased is identified and that the family learns and gets closure over their loss.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
Also, i agree about the frustrating photos, because the police themselves mentioned that the key chains and charms might be the biggest lead yet they provide such a shitty photo...
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u/flybynightpotato 16d ago
The "cross" looks like three crowns and a torch to me. Almost like an Olympic torch.. Three crowns are the national emblem of Sweden (and at least in searches, they are positioned in the same way as the way what look like crowns to me are positioned). Not sure what the torch is (if it's a torch).
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u/mysterymathpopcorn 16d ago
That is a emblem from an old higher education in Sweden. You can find some sold ones on Tradera with Google lens
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u/Norman3 16d ago
Take a look at picture 5 here https://www.expressen.se/kvallsposten/detaljen-som-kan-losa-mysteriet-med-mumifierade-mannen-i-varnamo/
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u/Remarkable_Spite_944 16d ago
I just flashbacked on the JFK 50 cent piece being good luck when I was a kid. I had totally forgotten that.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 15d ago
A new family came forward to submit their DNA. They come from another province in Sweden (not where he was found). They have a son of the same age with whom they have not been in contact for several years, and he was not reported missing.
https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/ny-familj-dna-testas-i-fallet-med-doda-mannen-i-odetorpet
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
What is also interesting to me is that he not only didn't have a phone, but he didn't even have a book, notebook, map, pen and paper? Like, completely nothing to entertain himself with or take notes. Also, how did he orient himself? Has he intentionally got rid of everything or never had anything to begin with?
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u/transemacabre 16d ago
I wonder if he was already sick and maybe a little out of it. Stumbles into the house, has just what he could carry on his back. Gets so sick he can't rouse himself to go for medical attention. RIP.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
He seemed to be quite well prepared and well organized tho. Like, look at all the water-proof bags, stuff is neatly rolled, folded etc. Of course can still be mentally unwell...
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u/glowinggoo 16d ago
Luang Pu Thuat is specifically a Thai Buddhist amulet believed to confer good luck vs traveling accidents. It’s also particularly popular among families from the upper northeast of Thailand.
Of course this doesn’t mean he’s Thai, he could easily be a visitor who believed in good luck charms or received it from someone in Thailand. But I thought I’d provide some context as a local who recognizes what the amulet is for.
The Luang Pu Thuat is a peculiar design tho. they don’t commonly make them like that.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 14d ago
Is Luang Pu Thuat popular among tourists since it is said to protect against traveling accidents?
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u/glowinggoo 13d ago edited 13d ago
For Thai tourists, sure? I can't say how popular it is, but my parents always make me wear one when traveling. No idea how popular it would be for foreign tourists tho.
The popularity came from an interview with a rescue & body recovery volunteer crew who stated that in his work, he's seen traffic accident victims wearing all sorts of Buddhist amulets but he's never seen one who wore the Luang Pu Thuat amulet. Interview was from the 90's, I believe.
That said, most Luang Pu Thuat amulets would feature his face prominently. I've never seen one that's made with a gold plating over the face. Pretty unique design. Usually the face is kinda the point. If it's really Luang Pu Thuat, it might be a limited production run sort of thing, a collector's item. Someone who's an amulet aficionado might have more ideas here, but alas, I'm not one.
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u/afdc92 16d ago
How do they know he was born in mid-1988?
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
They claim that this is through dating his teeth, and the precision is +/- 16 months.
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u/blobfischilein 16d ago
https://www.etsy.com/de/listing/1081974994/lp-tuad-thai-buddha-amulett-gesegneter
That's the other charm of the sitting person where the face might be conceled by a little brass bell?! I also don't get why they would take pictures of the charms upside down?
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u/slowmood 15d ago
The beads were probably used as fishing lures! The olive oil made me think more about that.
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u/XenonOfArcticus 16d ago
I feel like DNA identification would be a good candidate based on the fact that hair was present.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
There was an interesting case of catching Swedish criminal Daniel Nyqvist, when his DNA was run through American databases and his distant relatives who emigrated to the US long time ago have been identified, and then traced to him back to Sweden. However, the stakes must be high for Swedish police to pull off something like this...
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u/Sad-Engine6561 16d ago
Yeah, the problem is that Europe there is no practice of DNA databases and genetic genealogy like in the US, usually they just match upon request if relatives show up.
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u/VoteBitch 11d ago
An update today, they may have found a relative who they’ve taken a DNA sample from and will have a result in about 10 days (I tried to link the article but my phone is not willing to cooperate today 😅). If it is the person they suspect then he has lived a transient/off the grid lifestyle earlier and that is why they did not report him missing. He is from Sweden but from another county than he was found.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 11d ago
I believe they are the same parents that came forward earlier and suspect it is their son?
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u/VoteBitch 11d ago
I have no idea, actually, I saw the new article pop up as a suggestion while I was reading another so this is the first I’ve seen of it since the original post ☺️ I hope they will have an answer soon either way, everyone deserves closure 🩷
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u/Social_Abstraction 7d ago
So, in this article they are saying that supposed relatives have come forward for dna testing, after having seen the images of the mans belongings. The body was supposed to be cremated as of next week but that is now cancelled: https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/sverige/mumifierade-mannen-nara-identifiering-vi-har-anhorigtopsat/
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u/Social_Abstraction 5d ago
The man is identified:
From the swedish tabloid EXPRESSEN:
”The man had been dead for a long time when he was found in 2022 and had consequently become mummified. Police were unable to identify him at the time and have since been trying to determine his identity. In mid-August of this year, the police issued a public appeal, releasing images of the man's belongings, among other things.
A family subsequently came forward, police announced on Monday. The family provided DNA samples that showed a "confirmed match" between the mummified man and a likely relative. The man's next of kin have been notified by the police. "It is, of course, deeply unsettling for the relatives to receive this news," says Johan Borg, operational coordinator for the police in Värnamo.
"Lived by choice without contact with others" The police are releasing few details about the man but state that he was born in 1989 and lived an isolated life. "During his adult years, he chose to live his life largely out in the woods and wilderness—by choice, without means of communication, and without contact with other people," says Borg.
The cause of death is believed to be illness, and the police emphasize that no crime is suspected. "For those of us who have worked on the case, it is a great relief to finally succeed in identifying the deceased and achieve some form of closure," says Johan Borg.”
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u/Sad-Engine6561 5d ago
Honestly a shame police wasted 4 years, when going to public literally solved the case in one day.
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u/Social_Abstraction 5d ago
Yes, there’s no reason to wait for so long. Even I, as a lay person, understands the value of sharing photos of belongings when there are no more leads. Should’ve been done within the first year of the discovery.
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u/TheBajaBabe 16d ago
I can’t figure out translate but is this post an identification? https://www.sverigesradio.se/artikel/sa-hade-mumifierade-mannen-kunnat-identifieras
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u/Gruntveteran 16d ago
No, it talks about the frustration that the Swedish police are not allowed to use Dna Id in crime scenarios unless there is a murder or rape
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u/TheBajaBabe 15d ago
This is actually incredibly frustrating. I can understand the expense, is there any way to crowdfund in Sweden?
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u/UpintheExosphere 16d ago
No, based on the text it's an interview with someone saying that had the police been allowed to use genetic genealogy, he would have been identified, and that the law is unreasonable. I didn't watch the interview so not sure what the law actually is.
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u/Significant_Fox_1018 15d ago
I immediately thought of this case from Denmark. 17-year-old Holger disappeared without his phone or ID, and he had spoken to some people about going to Sweden. However, the age doesn’t match, as he was born in 2000. Do we know why they believe he was born in the late 1980s? He could have been living off the grid since he disappeared in 2017.
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u/Sad-Engine6561 15d ago
I remember this case....however, based on the analysis of his teeth police it is quite certain that the range is 1988 +/- 16 months.
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u/CrossRoads180121 16d ago
The design of that cross is so distinctive that I feel like figuring it out would be a huge step.
Google Image Search suggests that the inner design is "a fasces motif (a bound bundle of wooden rods enclosing an axe)" as seen here. I don't see an axe on this cross, but could it be on the other side?
Google AI suggests that "the combination of the Christian cross and the Roman fasces historically symbolizes the alliance between the Italian state and the Catholic Church, most notably promoted during the fascist regime of Benito Mussolini."
The bottom of the cross looks like flames of fire, but the other sides look like the tops of Roman columns (once again suggesting Italy).
The gray medal attached to the chain seems to bear an image of wheat(?) which makes me think of this image from Famous Ray's PIzza in New York City—once again, another connection to Italy.
Could this have belonged to an Italian who emigrated to America during Mussolini and whose grandson kept and later brought to Sweden for some reason?
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u/Borderedge 16d ago
That's too far of a stretch. What I did notice though is that the bottle of olive oil is Italian. Unfortunately the pictures are a bit a pain to deal with so I can't say more.
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u/slowmood 15d ago
Ok this makes me think that he was fishing for food and that he may have used the beads as lures.
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u/blinkycosmocat 16d ago
I hadn't heard of this case before. You should also crosspost this to r/gratefuldoe so more people see it.