BBC Podcast: Death in Ice Valley(2018)
In November 1970, hikers discovered the remains of a lady in the icy cold mountainous area of Isdalen Valley in Norway. This lady, in her 30s, obviously not equipped for trekking, was found charred faced down in a fire with a bottle of barbiturates in the vicinity. This death was unusual to the peaceful port town of Bergen. It created a lot of excitement. The police had nothing much to work with.
To start with, no identity could be ascertained. Nobody came forward with the report of a missing person. The labels on her clothes were cut off. A nationwide alert pinpointed to left luggage in the railway station. It seems she possessed multiple passports, multiple identities and many wigs.
With not much evidence to work with, the police soon declared her case as suicide and were buried in a zinc cast to enable further test if necessary. Her burial was a low-key attended only by police officers.
46 years later, investigative journalists from BBC and NRK decided to re-open the case with the benefit of newer forensic tools and technology. They meticulously swept through the case with a fine-tooth comb as any good investigator would do starting at the site where the lady (who was christened 'Isdal Woman' after the valley) was found after slowly tracing her activities. A total of ten episodes narrating their work was aired. A Facebook page was created to discuss their findings for the smart people out there to give their input.
Interviews with living witnesses and police officer shed light on the background of the case. The hotel where the Isdal Woman stayed before her death is still around, and records of her registration were available for scrutiny. Handwriting experts, who have a better knowledge of the nuances of writing now than they were in the 70s, suggested that she was probably from a French-speaking nation. She had multiple identities, sometimes writing in German, but they ascertained that her German was probably fake.
The recurring suggestion was that she was a spy or an informant. With the penchant to hide her identity with fake names and aliases, wigs and cul labels off her clothes, this was her mostly accepted profession. She was also found to have in many hotels and was a frequent traveller. Some opined that she could be a sex worker as sexy lingerie was found amongst her luggage.
She was also sighted around the vicinity of the area where Norway carried out its missile test, The Penguin, furthering supporting this possibility.
The Coroner's office still kept her mandible as the coroner must have thought it could be handy in time to come. She had multiple gold fillings and crown, which located her to have originated from Russia or an Eastern European country. C14 dating gave her age as probably in her 40s.
New, untested methods were brought to the fore. O2 isotope studies could suggest the area where one's water supply came from. Strontium isotopes interpretation which reflected the types of food that one ate and the type of soil in the area that food was grown, was employed. Tissues in the paraffin blocks of the sample taken from the Isdal Woman was sent for DNA analysis.
As it stands, it has been ascertained that the Isdal Woman is of European stock, probably grew up in eastern or central Europe, moved towards France in her adolescence just before or during World War II. Her handwriting indicated she learnt to write in France or in another French-speaking country. Followers of this podcast are eagerly awaiting the second season of the series. The producers promised to have one if newer discoveries are made.
To start with, no identity could be ascertained. Nobody came forward with the report of a missing person. The labels on her clothes were cut off. A nationwide alert pinpointed to left luggage in the railway station. It seems she possessed multiple passports, multiple identities and many wigs.
With not much evidence to work with, the police soon declared her case as suicide and were buried in a zinc cast to enable further test if necessary. Her burial was a low-key attended only by police officers.
46 years later, investigative journalists from BBC and NRK decided to re-open the case with the benefit of newer forensic tools and technology. They meticulously swept through the case with a fine-tooth comb as any good investigator would do starting at the site where the lady (who was christened 'Isdal Woman' after the valley) was found after slowly tracing her activities. A total of ten episodes narrating their work was aired. A Facebook page was created to discuss their findings for the smart people out there to give their input.
Interviews with living witnesses and police officer shed light on the background of the case. The hotel where the Isdal Woman stayed before her death is still around, and records of her registration were available for scrutiny. Handwriting experts, who have a better knowledge of the nuances of writing now than they were in the 70s, suggested that she was probably from a French-speaking nation. She had multiple identities, sometimes writing in German, but they ascertained that her German was probably fake.
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| An artist's impression of the Isdal Woman. |
She was also sighted around the vicinity of the area where Norway carried out its missile test, The Penguin, furthering supporting this possibility.
The Coroner's office still kept her mandible as the coroner must have thought it could be handy in time to come. She had multiple gold fillings and crown, which located her to have originated from Russia or an Eastern European country. C14 dating gave her age as probably in her 40s.
New, untested methods were brought to the fore. O2 isotope studies could suggest the area where one's water supply came from. Strontium isotopes interpretation which reflected the types of food that one ate and the type of soil in the area that food was grown, was employed. Tissues in the paraffin blocks of the sample taken from the Isdal Woman was sent for DNA analysis.
As it stands, it has been ascertained that the Isdal Woman is of European stock, probably grew up in eastern or central Europe, moved towards France in her adolescence just before or during World War II. Her handwriting indicated she learnt to write in France or in another French-speaking country. Followers of this podcast are eagerly awaiting the second season of the series. The producers promised to have one if newer discoveries are made.
My friend asks if all these endeavours are worth their time and effort? Is the discovery of the identity of the Isdal Woman going to give any real closure to anyone since no one seems to be missing her? We do not know that, right? Is the discovery of the perpetrator of crimes, if any, is going to of any fruition since by all accounts he may have died already? If the sin was committed by agents related to regimes of a particular ideology, we all know how brutal secret services are. At one time, the idea of she (Isdal Woman) being a Mossad agent was considered, but forensic findings proved otherwise. Are these mere exercises of futility just to mentally arouse ourselves and fulfil our overinflated egos? Is this going to change mankind in any way? Is it a warning to would-be criminals that their crime would not be unpunished? But then, criminals, by being educated on how forensics work, would now be in the know-how to avoid detection!
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39369429
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39369429
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