The remains of a Norwegian woman who was reported missing last year were found off the Shetland islands just a month later. Her family wasn’t notified, however, until recently because Norwegian police failed to report her disappearance internationally.
The woman, who lived in Kristiansand at the southern tip of Norway, was last seen on April 5, 2024 and reported missing three days later. The remains of a woman were found off Shetland on May 15, 2024 and an autopsy failed to find any sign of injuries. Shetland police, however, couldn’t link her to the missing woman in Norway because police in Kristiansand had only reported her missing nationally within Norway.
The Norwegian police carried out an investigation into her disappearance that included a search, questioning of people she knew and an examination of her movements and digital data. She wasn’t registered as missing internationally, however, until November 7, 2025, and then her DNA matched that in Interpol’s database of the remains found in the waters off Shetland nearly 18 months earlier.
“Police are still working to find out what happened (to her), and are holding all possibilities open,” Norwegian prosecutor Vanja Bruvoll told reporters. That includes illness, an accident, a criminal assault or suicide that would have led to her body drifting across the North Sea to Shetland. Police admit her disappearance should have been reported internationally and have apologized to her family for the violation of routines.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
