Disappearance of Helena Andersson
1992 missing person case in Sweden
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Disappearance
Helena Andersson had been at a friend’s housewarming party in Töreboda; later in the evening, she and a few friends decided to continue partying at the Stadshotellet nightclub in central Mariestad.[1][2] At 2 in the morning, she headed home by foot; an hour later, several witnesses heard a woman screaming. About 100 m (330 ft) from her parents' home, Andersson's rings and sandals were later found.[3] Also found were drips of blood. She has not been heard from since.[4][3] The first man to be a suspect was a Danish man who witnesses had seen driving a white car, allegedly picking up Helena Andersson and driving away from the Stadshotellet.[1] He was arrested and later released.[5]
Investigation and arrests
In August 2019, DNA tests found traces of three different people on her sandals.[6] In August 2021, a man in his 60s was arrested in connection with Helena Andersson's disappearance.[7]
He was later released but remains a suspect in her disappearance.[8] In 2020, the Swedish police special cold case group in Gothenburg started investigating the case.[8] During the evening, Helena had called her sister to ask her if she had seen her wallet; her sister told her she would pay for a taxi home.[9] Helena decided to walk home anyway.[9]
Two rings and the sandals she had been wearing were found the day after her disappearance.[10][8] Several witnesses told police they saw a white or possibly light coloured car near the place where Helena Andersson's belongings were found.[11] The 60-year-old suspect had a white car at the time of Helena Andersson's disappearance; since then, the car had been scrapped. This information was revealed to the public in 2021.[11] Witnesses heard a loud scream identified by them as that of a woman.[12]
In 2017, another man was arrested in suspicion of the disappearance but he was also released later. He was known in media as "the man with the pilot glasses".[13][14]
In 2010, a white Volvo 744 was examined for evidence by investigators, due to tips from the public. It formerly belonged to an 80-year-old man who had died in a house fire. The car was deemed to not have anything to do with her disappearance.[4] In September 2021, investigators revealed that the 60-year-old suspect's DNA had been sent for analysis to the National Forensic Centre, to be matched to the blood traces found on her sandals.[15]
After his arrest, police also searched his home and the area where Helena disappeared, without revealing any results to media.[16]
Her disappearance has also been linked to murderer Anders Eklund, but no charges have been brought.[17][18]
On 20 June 2022, Swedish prosecutors handling the case decided to close all investigations on the case.[19] It will only be re-opened if new evidence emerges.[19]
In media
The disappearance has been extensively mentioned in Swedish media, and Efterlyst, Veckans Brott, and Sveriges Radio have produced documentaries about the case.[20][21]
In April 2021, Danish author Lotte Dalgaard published the book Mardrömmen i Mariestad — Historien om Helena Anderssons försvinnande (Nightmare in Mariestad — Story of Helena Andersson's disappearance).[5]
Criminologist Leif GW Persson states that he is certain he knows who kidnapped and murdered Helena Andersson, and has claimed to have spent over 1000 hours investigating the case.[22]