A former murder case involving a 63-year-old Swedish woman from the southern Smaland region has been reopened by local police who now suspect that the killer was an elk.
The body of the woman was found in September 2008 next to a lake nearby the village of Loftahammar. She was last seen as she took her family dog for a walk in the nearby forest but when she did not return her husband went looking for her and discovered her dead body.
The 68-year-old man was immediately arrested by police and detained on suspicion of committing murder. The husband was held in custody for five months, reports The Local. “When my children and I buried my wife I was still suspected of killing her,” he claimed. The man was released in January this year without charge as investigations took on a new course.
The initial autopsy failed to determine the cause of the woman’s death, leading to further analysis. The National Laboratory of Forensic Science found that strands of hair recovered from the woman’s clothing and body belonged to a species of deer. Elk experts from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences also discovered that the woman’s clothes contained traces of elk saliva.
Police have so far refused to comment on the new findings but have announced a press conference to clarify the status of the investigation. In attendance will also be an elk expert to explain the forensic analysis findings.
Have the police liaised with the elk expert to produce a photofit of the elk?