Copenhagen Police said:
There is a DNA match between the female torso, blood found on the submarine and missing Swedish journalist.
Copenhagen Police said:
Monday the 21st of August, the body of a female with no head, arms nor legs was found on the shoreline of southwestern Amager.
The Department of Forensic Medicine concluded the autopsy of the body last night at 10 pm. The DNA material from the body has been compared to DNA from missing Swedish journalist Kim Wall. The investigation shows that there is a DNA match. Furthermore, there is a DNA match with DNA found on board the submarine.
Chief Investigator Jens Møller Jensen from Copenhagen Police states:
”I would like to express my deepest sympathy with Kim Wall’s family whom we had to give the definitive news last night, that we now have a DNA match between Kim Wall and the torso found. Naturally, the DNA match is a relatively large break through in the investigation which will now continue until we have built all possible information in the case.”
The autopsy also shows that there was metal attached to the torso. At the same time, the body bears the mark of having, most likely, been inflicted deliberate damage with the purpose of ensuring that gasses can pass out of the body – possibly in an attempt to avoid that a body rises from the seabed.
Copenhagen Police will now continue their extensive investigation. The investigators are awaiting the results of further technical investigations. There will be further interrogations and the many tips from the public regarding the case are currently being looked into.
Furthermore, today a large search for remaining body parts and clothing will take place in the area around Amager.
”With support from emergency services, we are now searching for remaining body parts and clothing. We are searching in coastal areas with staff on land and with divers in proximity of where the body was discovered as well as in the known positions of the submarine. We would still like to ask the public for help and if anyone has information of interest to the case, we would like to be contacted.”
If you have information in the case, please contact Copenhagen Police by dialling 1-1-4.
Currently, Copenhagen Police has no further comments on the case. We will post on Twitter when there is any news.
FACTS regarding the preliminary charge
The prosecution at Copenhagen Police state that on the 11th of August 2017, Peter Madsen was charged preliminarily with manslaughter according to the Criminal Code section 237, which contains a range of penalties from 5 years of imprisonment until life imprisonment.
On the 12th of August 2017, Peter Madsen was presented at the preliminary examination at the City Court of Copenhagen.
The court found that there was at least reasonable suspicion of Peter Madsen being guilty of involuntary manslaughter under particularly aggravating circumstances, which contains a range of penalties from a fine until 8 years of imprisonment.
The preliminary charge is subsidiary compared to the preliminary charge of manslaughter. The charge of manslaughter is still maintained.
So far, Peter Madsen is remanded in custody until the 5th of September 2017.
The case is still covered by closed doors.
With all that's going on in the world I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard about this crime drama happening in Copenhagen, but as it has all the elements of a blockbuster-movie I'll try to recap for your horror -and entertainment.
A long time ago, in the fairytale kingdom of Denmark, a man had a dream of building a single-person rocketship to fly into space (cross the Kármán line) on a budget.
Having, himself, build three submarines (and loads of small rockets) in the past he'd gathered a bit of a following in the engineering community and found no shortage of volunteer enthusiasts to help in this awesome endaveour.
It soon became apparent to some of his fellow amateurs that he could be quite a handfull to work with and after a lot of drama Madsen took his submarine (a whole story onto itself including another bunch of happy amateurs) and left Copenhagen Suborbitals to start his own company; Raket-Madsens Rumlaboratorium (Rocket-Madsens Rocket-laboratory).
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, where SC had been given a green light for launch this coming weekend, suddently Madsen also wanted to launch
his rocket the very same weekend(!) and also had been given a green light.
Big drama ensued as SC did not want their flight, machinery, or organisation associated with Madsen in the (world) press, and as Madsen, due to his charismatic personality, was considered the most likely target for camera-crews, cancelled their launch. The backlash from this then made Madsen also cancel his test.
So, I'm reading blogs and articles and user comments on the site of the professional engineers paper in Denmark (ing.dk) -gotta love the drama!- where both have a large following, when the hottest news-item became that Madsen and the Swedish journalist Kim Wall were missing at sea after having taken the submarine out 'for a spin' the night before ...
During the very same day the vessel was spotted with Madsen in it, he went below deck for a few seconds and then it started sinking (which took about thirty seconds according to eye witnesses). He stated that he'd droppe Ms Wall off on land and had continued in his vessel some time the night before. Then it became a 'missing person' case and the search for Ms Wall continued on land as well as at sea ...
When a beached torso later, after a speedy post mortem, was found to be that of Ms Wall it all became quite the horrorshow. (If you're interested you can look it up or start reading here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40909469)
To end on a lighter note, this does not mean the end of the Danish manned space program...
