A Swedish au pair’s disappearance in Boston | Forensic Files

[Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any
time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website [Music]
karina homer scratched the final panel on the lottery ticket and was surprised to discover that she'd won 10 000
swedish krona the win couldn't have come at a better time it was only one week until 19 year old
karina was set to leave her small swedish village in shillinghard to travel to the usa
her unexpected but welcome windfall which in 1996 was the equivalent of roughly 1500 us dollars granted karina
extra spending money for her overseas adventure karina wasn't going to the united states
just for a holiday she had signed up to be an au pair with a company in sweden that matched young women with american
families looking for nannies karina would provide childcare and light housekeeping duties to her host family
and in return they would give her board and a small allowance one of karina's three sisters previously
worked as an au pair and had encouraged her to do the same as a way to experience living
overseas the arrangement would also help karina save money which she could put towards pursuing her ultimate career
goal of becoming a restaurant manager driven and passionate karina had already completed trade school in the
hospitality industry the company matched carina with a family in the affluent town of dover around 15
miles southwest of downtown boston massachusetts she was looking forward to exploring
boston as she'd never experienced life in a bustling city before in march 1996 karina prepared to leave
her small village of fewer than 100 people fedova which had a population of around four thousand
although outgoing and social karina was quite dependent on her friends and family
by working in america she hoped to show her parents that she could stand on her own two feet
karina was happy and excited as she farewelled her family at the airport just before she boarded the plane she
said i hope i'm doing the right thing [Music] [Music] upon arriving in dover karina settled in
well with her host family forty-three-year-old frank rapp worked as a photographer
his wife susan nichter was an artist who painted for a living the couple had two children
a six-year-old boy and a toddler-aged daughter frank and susan weren't strangers to
hosting an au pair karina was the sixth swedish nanny to stay with them described by neighbours as a well-to-do
couple frank and susan's three-story landscaped home offered carina ample space and privacy when needed
naturally athletic as a pony club member and one-time girl scout karina spent her
days playing games such as soccer and basketball with the children her time was also spent completing
household chores the two children quickly grew fond of karina who was gentle patient
affectionate and optimistic in the evenings she often joined other au pairs at nightclubs and cafes in the
boston area she formed close friendships with her colleagues and the young women bonded
over their shared experiences in a foreign country [Music] as karina only worked weekdays frank
rapp made her an offer it was one he had made to all the nannies who had looked after his
children in the past on weekends karina could crash at his loft apartment in south boston which he
used as a photography studio this would allow her to enjoy boston on her days off without having to worry
about making her way back to dover each night karina eagerly accepted and spent the
majority of her weekends in the city with her au pair friends one of the most exciting dates on the
swedish calendar is mid-summer celebrated at the summer solstice the longest day of the year
on friday june 21 1996 when karina holmer was three months into her american adventure she decided that
being on the other side of the world gave her no less reason to celebrate karina told her host family that she
planned to go to boston for the weekend and would be back on sunday evening she pulled on a grey and silver sweater
shiny grey pants and black ankle boots before leaving for the city on friday afternoon with another female nanny
the two made their way to boylston place in downtown boston the area brimming with nightclubs was
known to au pairs and locals alike as a popular place for international tourists
karina and her friend chose to visit two nightclubs zanzibar and mercury bar as many from
their social circle would be there at five foot three inches tall and with a face described as sweet and innocent
karina holmar looked more like a 16 year old than her nearly 20 years this coupled with the fact that the
legal drinking age in the us was 21 meant she had to use a fake id to get into the clubs
it worked as it had many times before karina and her group of approximately a dozen friends spent the night drinking
and dancing at two the following morning they spilled out onto the street as zanzibar closed its doors
karina who was heavily intoxicated began talking and dancing with passers-by including a nearby panhandler
she also stopped to chat to a man walking a large white dog both of whom were dressed in matching superman
t-shirts half an hour after leaving zanzibar karina was still outside the club having
a conversation with two men her friend who was sitting in a nearby car asked her boyfriend to tell karina
they were leaving as the boyfriend spoke with karina the two men she was with began swearing at
him asking who do you think you are when karina heard her friends were leaving she opted to stay behind
replying that she would see them later on sunday june 23 the day karina was expected to return to dover her employer
frank rapp received a phone call it was from karina's friend who had accompanied her to boston that weekend
she was wondering if karina had preemptively returned to dover as no one in the city knew where she was
concerned frank drove to his loft upon entering he saw some of karina's belongings lying around
but the 19 year old wasn't there as no one could pinpoint where karina might have wound up after the clubs
closed in the early hours of saturday morning frank phoned the boston police to report
her missing [Music] hours later a homeless man made his way along boylston street
he passed the closed zanzibar nightclub before turning down ipswich street at the end
although connected to various main thoroughfares the street itself was relatively quiet
it ran parallel with the train track and was overlooked by several apartment blocks
on the other side of the railway was the massachusetts turnpike and above was the
charles gate overpass as the homeless man walked along ipswich street he checked the dumpsters for
recyclable cans that he could trade for cash at around 1 30 pm he was examining a
dumpster behind an apartment building and noticed a plastic garbage bag within inside he came across another plastic
bag he untied this second bag and saw something horrifying it was a woman's arm her fingernails
painted with nail polish terrified the man fled to notify the authorities [Music]
when police arrived at the scene they discovered that the bag contained the upper half of a woman
her lower body and legs were missing it was karina holmar faint ligature marks on karina's neck
indicated she had been strangled with a piece of rope or cord following her murder karina was severed
in two likely by a power saw her makeup had been removed and her body was completely washed clean
it was believed that her remains were dumped on this saturday some time after karina had separated from her friends
her exact time of death was difficult to ascertain as there were no markings on her body caused by blood settling
this suggested she had either been held captive prior to her murder or that she had lost too much blood during the act
the brutal way in which karina had been mutilated by her killer or killers made her murder particularly unusual
the boston police who were no strangers to homicides were left shocked by karina's treatment and vowed to catch
those responsible they speculated that her assailant had sawed her in half because it made her
remains easier to transport or perhaps it was done to cover up evidence of a sexual assault on the
lower portion of her body forensic psychologists believed the seemingly opportunistic crime was
carried out by a first-time killer despite the killer's inexperience they were described as careful cunning and
clever they did not panic in the wake of the crime and were in no rush to determine
how and where to dispose of karina's body alan fox dean of the college of criminal
justice at northwestern university said we're not talking about a bizarre maniac
either it's someone who had some relationship with karina or we're talking about a stranger who has a great
deal of control over his behavior who could very well have a good job and neighbours and friends
but for whom rape and murder is done for pleasure lieutenant robert o'toole who was
assigned to the case confirmed in the boston globe that initial investigations would focus on karina's movements from
the last time her friends reported seeing her cctv footage from inside and outside
zanzibar nightclub was taken for analysis while the boston police department had
confirmed early on that the body was that of karina holmar when they went to check her name through all the various
agencies that hired international au pairs they received a surprise her name wasn't on any of them
over in sweden karina's parents returned from a night out to discover multiple messages on their home phones answering
machine they were from the boston police advising them of their daughter's murder
a media frenzy followed the discovery of karina's body and the story dominated headlines in massachusetts and sweden
boston's mayor implored reporters to let investigators do their job without getting in the way
karina's parents were repeatedly asked for interviews but were too distraught to speak with the press
her sister johanna provided a comment to the boston globe stating of course we know that such things can
happen over there but it's nothing that you expect karina's friends told the press she had
been sensible but also very trusting of others and not particularly streetwise a swedish salon owner who lived and
worked in boston attributed this to a difference in cultures telling the boston globe quote
this is not sweden and the young girls don't realize that there is much more violence around here
and you have to be careful especially when you go drinking sweden is not like this
everything there is on a smaller scale you are more protected all pair agencies offered counselling to
nannies in the area as many struggled to come to terms with the death of one of their friends
a police spokesperson tried to calm the public and reassured them it was still safe to go out stating
there is not a mad killer running through boston scooping up young women from clubs
still local night spots saw a decrease in business with many people reporting that they were choosing to stay home
instead one woman around the same age as karina said i know people that won't even go out now
but if you do it's worth it to take a cab five dollars can save your life law enforcement officials painted karina
homer as a party animal who was known to go out clubbing often one source said it was difficult to
track where she had gone and with whom because she socialized with quote a loose running crowd
the party animals of party animals karina's host mother susan nectar denied these allegations telling the media that
karina had only been drinking a lot on the night she went missing because she was celebrating mid-summer
adding that this was probably why she got into trouble she described karina as typically having
very good judgment meanwhile detectives discovered that karina had gained employment in the
united states through a stockholm or pair agency run by 46 year old target sunden
after learning of karina's death sunden told swedish newspaper expresson that although his agency found work for au
pairs he did not provide them with the special 13-month visa they required to work in the u.s
this was why karina's name was not recorded in any official documentation target sunden who had previously been
charged twice with illegal employment practices admitted that au pairs including karina homer were technically
illegal immigrants although most official agencies checked in with their overseas or pairs to see
how they were going he hadn't heard from karina since she left sweden he was devastated by karina's murder and
publicly claimed responsibility for her death closing down his business soon after
while boston police said that finding out more about karina would help them track down her killer
a spokesperson was quick to point out that investigators were no closer to finding them
a criminologist discussed karina's case with the boston globe saying these kinds of events are incredibly
rare the mutilation of a body is not common in homicide when it does happen it gets a lot of
attention and we tend to think it's more common than it is although karina had only been in the us
for approximately three months investigators worked with the theory that she knew her killer
as it turned out there were multiple people of interest [Music] case file will be back shortly thank you
for supporting us by listening to this episode sponsors you've got back-to-back meetings errands
to run and chores to take care of what's the secret to clearing your to-do list a little help from doordash
along with the restaurants you love you can now get groceries and other essential items delivered with doordash
get drinks snacks and other household items in under an hour with over 300 000 partners you can
support your neighborhood go-to's or choose from your favorite national restaurants
every time you place an order for pickup or delivery you're setting off a chain reaction that helps give back to the
people who make your neighborhood unique from the stores and restaurants to the dashes driving around each purchase
provides a new opportunity for everyone involved because with doordash there is a neighborhood of good in every order
for a limited time our listeners can get 25 percent off on their first order of 15 or more when you download the
doordash app and enter code case file that's 25 off up to 10 value on your first order
when you download the doordash app in the app store and enter code case file don't forget that's code case file for
25 off your first order with doordash subject to change terms apply wealthy businessman casey parker has
been murdered you and a dedicated team of private detectives have been hired to solve the
case the only problem the suspect list is long and the list of potential evidence is even longer
who's on your side who can you trust be the first to solve the mystery when you order case file truth and deception
the riveting endlessly replayable strategy board game based on our podcast put yourself in the detective's shoes
with case file truth and deception using 44 beautifully illustrated cards players take turns trading evidence to
get closer to the truth but remember this is a game of deception as well someone might plant false evidence to
throw you and the other detectives off track be the first detective to solve this
crime by correctly naming the suspect weapon motive and location of casey's murder and bring the killer to justice
same victim different crime will you solve it first case file truth and deception is 100
fictional and not based on any real life events it is available now in the us at walmart
and in the uk at argos and smith's toys it's also available to purchase online at amazon
due to supply chain issues case file truth and deception is not yet available in australia but if you can't wait to
get your hands on a copy you can purchase it from the australian amazon store with free shipping from the us
thank you for listening to this episode's ads by supporting our sponsors you support
case file to continue to deliver quality content karina's employer frank rapp caught the
attention of detectives early in the investigation as one of the individuals closest to
karina the 43 year old had to be questioned investigators first spoke to frank the
day after karina's body was identified he gave an alibi for the night in question telling detectives that after
karina left with her friend to celebrate mid-summer he went with susan and his children to
mcdonald's and a drive-in movie theater after that they all returned to their home in dover where frank stayed for the
remainder of the weekend his wife susan confirmed this as did her parents who had been staying with them
at the time a background check showed that frank rapp had previously run into trouble
with the law five years earlier in 1991 he was arrested for physically assaulting susan
as reported in the boston globe frank appeared in court on charges of assault and battery
susan filed a restraining order against him but later asked that it be removed and all charges against frank be dropped
after he agreed to treatment for alcoholism although susan nectar refused to elaborate on the incident when
interviewed by the media she did say that the arrest turned out to be a very positive thing for both of them
later adding what happened with frank and i in the past is not going to do anything to
help find this person who killed karina i have a very solid loving relationship with my husband
susan told the boston globe that karina was the perfect playmate and caregiver for her children stating
she was a really lovely girl she was the sweetest kindest person who wouldn't hurt a fly
she was so responsible and sensible frank added that their thoughts and prayers were with karina's family
the evening after frank's first police interview homicide detectives and cadaver dogs descended on his downtown
loft after a six-hour search they left with six bags of evidence including a bag
full of karina's clothing and what was described in the media as soft pornography
detectives hoped that an examination of the apartment might reveal whether karina made it back there after her
night out at zanzibar however this was unable to be determined there were no signs that anything
untoward occurred in the loft with cadaver dogs failing to pick up anything of forensic importance
that same night approximately 30 hours after karina's body was found a fire broke out in a dumpster approximately
200 feet from frank and susan's dover home the blazer's proximity to the rap household did not go unnoticed by police
who requested a second interview with frank the next day [Music] this time he attended homicide
headquarters with his lawyer once the interrogation was over frank told the boston globe that he had been
ruled out of the investigation stating i am definitely not a suspect i answered questions and cooperated with
authorities because we want to get this case solved my family is completely devastated
[Music] lieutenant robert o'toole disputed this assertion in a news conference explaining that while investigators had
interviewed a number of people they hadn't ruled anyone in or out later that afternoon boston police
searched through the dumpster that was set on fire near frank and susan's home amongst the ash were the burnt remnants
of some women's clothing no human remains were found police carried away three bags of
evidence and the dumpster was transported to the dover highway department under police guard
later reports confirmed that the clothing did not match karina homer's but investigators soon made a notable
discovery on saturday june 22 the day that detectives suspected karina was murdered
frank rapp had obtained a permit to dump trash at a dover recycling facility on thursday june 27 detectives headed to
the facility they spent five hours sifting through refuse and carted away two dumpster
loads in an attempt to find evidence linking frank to karina's murder susan nichter said in an interview with
the boston globe that like the dumpster fire the permit was nothing more than quote
a weird coincidence she explained that frank had gone to the facility to recycle newspapers and had
taken their son and their nephew with him then she added frank has an airtight alibi
anyone who knows frank knows he does not have it in him to hurt somebody else but law enforcement officials maintained
that the apparent coincidence was quote definitely suspicious while frank rapp and susan nichter
described karina as happy and carefree others had a different impression of the 19 year old's short time in the us
one of karina's friends in sweden contacted police about some correspondence she had received from
karina in one letter karina said she was homesick and wanted to return in august
which would mean cutting her trip short karina also confided in another friend named ulrika svensson
a letter to ulrika read there is always so much cleaning and i think i am stressed all the time
so this is not exactly what i thought it would be just weeks before karina's murder eureka
received another letter this one was more ominous quote something terrible has happened
i cannot tell you right now what it is but i will tell you when i get home none of karina's friends or family had
any idea what terrible thing she was referring to on sunday june 30 a week after karina's
body was found fifty of her friends and other au pairs gathered in boston's public gardens across the road from
zanzibar nightclub for an impromptu memorial service detectives observed them from afar
videotaping the service in the hopes that a person of interest might show up after holding hands and praying for
karina the group made their way to a chain-link fence near the dumpster where karina was found and decorated it with
brightly coloured roses afterwards detectives questioned some attendees and were able to further
account for karina's final movements during the night karina was seen dancing and talking with two men in zanzibar
witnesses described the man as well dressed it was unclear whether they were the
same man karina was seen talking to on the street after the club closed but one of her friends thought they
might be despite appeals for them to come forward these men would not identified
the more witnesses investigators interviewed the more varying accounts they received regarding karina's last
known whereabouts it was difficult to know how seriously to take some statements as almost all
witnesses who had last seen karina alive were inebriated at the time one person came forward to say he had
seen karina sitting in a grey mitsubishi with two men he stuck his head in the car and said to
karina let's go you can come with us in response one of the men threatened him to get away from the car or his head
would be crushed another witness said there had been four men in the car it wasn't determined who these men were
others who said they had seen karina in an alleyway had actually confused her with another blonde woman
a friend of karina's told authorities she saw her leaving zanzibar with an older man and that they were supposedly
going to an after-hours party investigators knew that karina had been spotted chatting to a man wearing a
superman t-shirt and walking a large dog cctv footage revealed the man to be tall
with a muscular build while witnesses described him as quiet and shy karina had padded his dog and was
overheard telling the man that her friends had left the bar without her in response he allegedly offered her a
lift home while investigators believed that karina never went back to the loft apartment
where she was staying they were unsure whether or not she'd accepted a ride with the man
the dog walker called the boston police department and identified himself as 48 year old herb whitton
herb who was six foot two and 240 pounds owned a three foot tall 120 pound great
pyrenees dog named pierre he didn't live in the neighborhood instead he had driven 30 minutes from
his home in andover just to walk pier through boston's downtown streets in the early hours of the morning
this struck investigators as suspicious locals who frequented the area claimed that herb was in the habit of doing this
as an excuse to speak to women who were leaving nightclubs when herb was asked to come down to
homicide headquarters for questioning his lawyer sent a letter asserting that he was not to be interviewed
given there was no evidence against him herb could not be compelled to attend detectives also tracked down a 31 year
old panhandler named juan polo who was seen dancing with karina homer outside of zanzibar nightclub
like frank rapp paolo also had previous run-ins with the law in april 1995 more than a year before
karina's murder a woman named evelyn alvarez was found strangled to death by a dumpster behind
a bowling alley she was juan paolo's ex-girlfriend paulo had been questioned by police in
july 1995 after they made the link between him and evelyn but he had a strong alibi for the night of his former
girlfriend's murder the murder of evelyn alvarez remained unsolved but plymouth district attorney
michael sullivan didn't think her case was related to karina homers unlike karina
evelyn had not been disfigured and there was no evidence she'd been sexually assaulted
nevertheless in a rap sheet that dated back to 1985 juan paulo had a total of 42 records
including a rape charge that was later dismissed he adamantly denied being involved in
karina's murder telling the boston herald that while they were dancing he had begged karina to return to the
safety of her friends with no evidence linking him to the killing polo was free to go
[Music] one more person raised suspicions when investigators canvassed the area talking
to those who lived in the apartment buildings near where karina's body was discovered
as reported in the boston globe a man named john lived two blocks from the scene
he was the lead singer in a local band which often included s m and bondage routines in their performances
[Music] like juan polo jon had some previous run-ins with the law and was also known to collect animal
and human bones but he denied being involved in any way and investigators could find nothing to
tie him to the case on july 1 1996 forensic experts successfully lifted a partial fingerprint from the plastic bag
karina's upper body was dumped in finally it seemed investigators had the breakthrough they'd been waiting for
when they tried to enhance the print however they were disappointed to discover that it contained less than a
necessary number of identifying characteristics to make a successful match without the crime scene where karina's
murder took place investigators efforts were significantly hampered and they were still missing the lower
portion of karina's body which may have contained crucial evidence by the start of july just a week after
karina's murder detectives already conceded that they might never find the rest of her remains
one law enforcement officer reported we haven't given up but the longer it goes on the more
difficult it becomes karina homer's upper body was returned to sweden and on july 5 a funeral was
held in her hometown at orca's church her family requested that attendees wear colorful clothes in celebration of
karina's life and as the mourners gathered their bright garments cast a vibrant scene against the white stone
building karina's family decorated the church with wild flowers they'd picked from an
adjacent forest and her coffin was adorned with white roses the officiating reverend said it was one
of the hardest ceremonies he had to lead and described the hundred mourners who attended as haunted by feelings of
devastation anger frustration and powerlessness karina was laid to rest in the nearby
cemetery back in boston leads in the case quickly ran dry yet on august 23 two months after
karina's murder the boston police commissioner told the public that the case was still very actively being
investigated when detectives failed to find any tangible evidence linking karina's
employer frank rapp to her murder he was officially ruled out as a suspect local media ignored this development and
continued to describe frank as a person of interest his wife susan publicly stated that she
found this astounding and insulting it was hoped that the garbage bags used to dispose of karina's upper body would
reveal a vital clue forensic experts tried to uncover where they'd been manufactured and whether
they were for commercial or retail use unfortunately the bags were made from a very common type of plastic and the
search went nowhere detectives thought they had another breakthrough when the skeletal remains
of two legs belonging to a white female aged between 20 and 40 were found in the
rural foothills of virginia's blue ridge mountains but they turned out not to belong to
karina holmar in november 1996 wcvb tv reported that a week before karina's murder she and
another au pair spent a night in the company of two police officers it was rumored that one of the officers
who worked paid detail at zanzibar nightclub and briefly dated karina had been interviewed by detectives
however investigators said they found no evidence tying him to the crime and just
like all the other persons of interest he was ultimately ruled out then new information sent detectives
looking in another direction the last known sightings of karina had placed her in the alley outside zanzibar
nightclub at around 2 30 a.m now some additional witnesses suddenly came forward to say they had seen karina
outside a 24-hour convenience store between 3 30 and 4 am the store was close to the dumpster
where karina's torso was subsequently found detectives wondered if this sighting
indicated that karina had been planning to head out again maybe she was on her way to an
after-hours party they just had no idea as to how or whether she got there or if she was alone
[Music] on january 9 1997 police were called to the home of herb whitton the man who had
been walking his dog in a superman t-shirt on the night of karina's murder they were met at herb's door by a
concerned relative who had called the police when she couldn't get a hold of him
inside they found herb whitton deceased on the bathroom floor an investigation determined that herb
had taken his own life those who knew him speculated that he ended his life due to his severe mental
health issues combined with the notoriety that had come from being associated with karina holmes murder
although herb was never mentioned by name in the media he was so well known as the burly man who walked his large
white dog in the middle of the night that locals knew exactly who the police were referring to
rumors also circulated that herb suicided because he had murdered karina and could no longer live with the guild
following herb's death his lawyer explained that herb had never been interviewed by the homicide detectives
because his mental state would have made a police interrogation inappropriate the lawyer told the boston globe quote
i can't comment on what he said but i feel confident based on my own investigation that he had no connection
whatsoever to the death of karina holmer i think his death related to the pressure he felt in being considered a
suspect in this slaying he always felt scrutinized by police and the public family and friends
he felt like he had a scarlet letter on his chest it was very tough the first anniversary of karina's murder
arrived and detectives were no closer to apprehending her killer despite interviewing hundreds of witnesses and
clocking up more than a thousand hours of investigative time now they were leaning toward the theory
that karina was last seen at 3am on boston common likely walking back to frank rapp's south boston loft
whilst those in sweden celebrated 1997's mid-summer karina's family marked one year since
her death by visiting her grave and decorating it with evergreen and wild flowers
karina's father ulla gave an interview with the journalist from the associated press and remarked on the strange use of
the word anniversary saying you call it an anniversary that's a very odd word for me
anniversary for me is some kind of celebration he explained that the period he most
struggled with in dealing with the loss of his daughter was when the initial leads ran dry and the case development
stopped ulla still spoke occasionally to police but they had a little to report quote
they only give out what they think they need to give out but i think i know that they have come
up with zero absolutely zero that's nothing at all that should worry america a bit
meanwhile a photograph of karina halma sat in the office shared by detective sergeant thomas o'leary and his three
homicide squad partners detective juan torres whose first homicide case was that of carinas said
to the boston globe it serves as a reminder of a task unfinished in february 1999 susan nichter presented
an exhibition of her paintings at a boston gallery as reported in the boston globe some of
the pieces explored her experience during karina holmer's murder with two paintings depicting a woman
wrestling with a well-meaning angel of death over the years a few more persons of
interest came up in police investigations but all were quickly dismissed as suspects
as of 2021 the murder of karina holmar remains unsolved the crime scene where she was killed has
not been identified and the lower half of her body was never recovered nor have investigators figured out what
might have caused her to write home and tell a friend quote something terrible has happened
soon after karina's death a friend of hers in sweden jenny was interviewed by the aftonbladet newspaper
in her hands jenny clasped her dick book a book that teenage girls in sweden circulate amongst friends to share
messages and thoughts as reported by the associated press jenny turned to a page written by karina
it had been decorated with drawings of wild flowers and karina had written the following
message i sit and look out to see the soft sand is red colored and my cheek is damp because my heart is
bleeding and my eyes are crying when i open my eyes i see a bird sitting with me on the ground
he looks at me and begins to sing a song my dear child life has returned to you and you will again feel happy
your soul is clean and the life spirit is glowing in your eyes the finest gift you ever get is life
you should not throw it away or trample on it but you should hold it high in your
hands [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Case 222: Karina Holmer

Karina Holmer scratched the final panel on the lottery ticket and was surprised to discover that she’d won 10,000 Swedish Krona. The win couldn’t have come at a better time: it was only one week until 19-year-old Karina was set to leave her small Swedish village in Skillingaryd to travel to the USA.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Jessica Forsayeth Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

Website https://www.casefilepodcast.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casefile Twitter https://twitter.com/case_file Instagram https://www.instagram.com/casefilepodcast Patreon https://www.patreon.com/casefile Casefile Presents https://casefilepresents.com

RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-222-karina-holmer

Brief Summary

Karina Holmer, a Swedish au pair, was murdered in Boston in 1996, and her case remains unsolved.

Key points

Karina's Unexpected Win. Karina Homer wins 10,000 Swedish Krona just before her trip to the USA.
A Celebration in Boston. Karina decides to celebrate Midsummer in Boston, despite being far from home.
The Discovery of a Body. A homeless man discovers a woman's severed arm in a dumpster, leading to a police investigation.
Frank Rapp's Innocence Claim. After being questioned, Frank Rapp asserts he is not a suspect in the case.
Karina's Ominous Letter. A letter reveals Karina's distress before her murder, hinting at something terrible.
Ulla's Frustration. Karina's father expresses his frustration with the police's lack of communication.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I hope I'm doing the right thing.

Karina's farewell to her family at the airport

2:50WatchSep 10, 2022

Tension

75/ 100High tension

More from Casefile

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.