Norway Norway - Isdalen, WhtFem 503UFNOR, multiple aliases, multilingual, Nov'70

[ZaZara]

Long article on the BBC. I haven't read the thread yet, so this could be old information.

Death in Ice Valley: New clues in a Norwegian mystery

It says ~ tentatively ~ that she was from the Nuremberg area in Germany.

 

[AgeofAquaruis]

Long article on the BBC. I haven't read the thread yet, so this could be old information.

Death in Ice Valley: New clues in a Norwegian mystery

The Isdal Woman was found on a Sunday morning and the last sighting of her is on the Monday, almost a week before she was found. This encounter, if it was with the Isdal Woman, can't have taken place on the Sunday she was found, so it must have been the Sunday before, or another Sunday. But that doesn't mean it wasn't her
She must have been meeting up with 'connections' between the Monday,and Sunday sightings. The two men following her were turncoats,who killed her after getting info they needed. She must not have known until it was too late. On that Sunday,when she was being followed,and then killed.
MOO

 

[CoverMeCagney]

What was the Monday sighting?

 

[ZaZara]

What was the Monday sighting?

From the BBC report
Death in Ice Valley: New clues in a Norwegian mystery

Ketil says his meeting with the woman happened on a Sunday, late afternoon, and that is the awkward thing about this story.

The Isdal Woman was found on a Sunday morning and the last sighting of her is on the Monday, almost a week before she was found. This encounter, if it was with the Isdal Woman, can't have taken place on the Sunday she was found, so it must have been the Sunday before, or another Sunday. But that doesn't mean it wasn't her.

 

[worldwatcher]

Long article on the BBC. I haven't read the thread yet, so this could be old information.

Death in Ice Valley: New clues in a Norwegian mystery

Thx,I did found,that the bag, that was found very interesting..

"The bag

Arne Magnus Vabo tells us, wielding his metal detector. The beeping is insistent and the quality of the sound tells him what kind of metal may be hidden underground.

Out on the same hillside, many months ago, the device alerted him to an intriguing find. The loud sound suggested a mixture of metals - maybe iron, maybe bronze or copper.


He dug down into the cold earth. Then he hit something.

Around 15cm (6in) beneath the surface he uncovered a handbag. The way it had been buried made him think it had been hidden deliberately.

"This was the first time I searched here," the 57-year-old says. "When you're alone, it's a creepy thing. You know people have used this place to have rituals or take their life. It's not a nice place to be." Vabo carefully removed the handbag, keeping it tightly closed, and let us know about the discovery. The Death in Ice Valley team then took it to the police.

The bag was heavy. Tree roots wound their way through its structure. It had been there for many decades....[ ]"

The Isdal woman was very petite (164 cm (5 ft 5 in) so imo it could have been her bag.

 

[jslk]

I wouldn't call 5ft 5in 'very petite', although it's probably on the shorter side for a German or Scandinavian person? (just looked it up and bang on average for both...)

 

[worldwatcher]

I wouldn't call 5ft 5in 'very petite', although it's probably on the shorter side for a German or Scandinavian person? (just looked it up and bang on average for both...)

Oww well, in most (France) msm, the Isdalen woman is described as petite, maybe not "very petite" as I put it, but I do think, there is a good chance that the bag, that was found could belong to her....
Especially when you read this:
"Experts cleaned it up carefully, revealing a blue-grey bag with red stripes. Short straps, about 35cm long, suggest it may have been bought for a child."
(Imo, a child would not be alone in a cold remoted place, like the Ice Valley)

"The police had composite sketches made of what they believed the woman had looked like – dark, attractive, petite, aged between 30 and 40."
Read more at :
Inside the mystery of the woman found dead with 8 different passports in her suitcase

Guess somehow, that sticked with me.

But anyway, this case is very intriguing in many countries in Europe, I do hope that one day, her ID will be known.

 

[Elainera]

I saw this on the BBC website yesterday, I had never heard of this case. Intriguing!

There is talk that LE might turn to one of the genealogy services. What are they waiting for? I think it could be their best shot at this point - almost 50 years later!

---

Coleen Fitzpatrick, a leading expert in this area of DNA research, has contacted the Death in Ice Valley team, offering to help identify the Isdal Woman.

...

The wheels are slowly in motion in Norway now.

It's been recognised these methods have launched a revolution in the solution of cold cases, so there will now be a legal hearing to decide if the police can do the same with the Isdal Woman.

It's not clear when that hearing will take place. But for the time being, we wait and hope.

Death in Ice Valley: New clues in a Norwegian mystery

 

[worldwatcher]

"After an appeal, witnesses also came forward to claim they had seen her take notes during a military test of rockets in western Norway."

The mystery of the Isdal Woman whose burned body was found in the woods with a suitcase of wigs, secret codes and EIGHT fake passports

This really makes me believe (among other msm published details) that she was somehow connected with spying..

 

[MarziPanda]

I wonder how much the genealogy route would really help, though. GEDmatch is so far the only source LE can use, right? DNA testing kits aren't nearly as popular in Europe as they are in the US, especially mainland Europe. I'd say that people in the UK probably have done more than places like Germany and France (DNA testing kits are illegal in France, but some manage to do it anyway) and even I (I'm English) have far less matches than people in the US usually do. Isdal woman would likely have very few matches. Even out of Europeans who take the tests, I doubt many care enough to upload to GEDmatch. Still, it would give LE at least a few clues and I think it's worth doing. Even enough third or fourth cousin matches can help identify someone.

 

[Suglo]

I wonder how much the genealogy route would really help, though. GEDmatch is so far the only source LE can use, right? DNA testing kits aren't nearly as popular in Europe as they are in the US, especially mainland Europe. I'd say that people in the UK probably have done more than places like Germany and France (DNA testing kits are illegal in France, but some manage to do it anyway) and even I (I'm English) have far less matches than people in the US usually do. Isdal woman would likely have very few matches. Even out of Europeans who take the tests, I doubt many care enough to upload to GEDmatch. Still, it would give LE at least a few clues and I think it's worth doing. Even enough third or fourth cousin matches can help identify someone.

They can also use FamilyTreeDNA. I received an email from them in March stating that they would be allowing LE to search their databases starting on March 12, 2019.

Edited to add that my understanding is that many Europeans use FamilyTreeDNA.

 

[worldwatcher]

Spy Series Based on Real-Life ‘Isdal Woman’ Mystery in the Works (EXCLUSIVE)

The enduring real-life mystery of “Isdal Woman” will be the subject of a new spy thriller series.

HandwrittenPictures, part of Stefan Arndt and Tom Tykwer’s X Filme, and Beta Film’s “Undercover” producer Good Friends are the German producers. Fenes Film is the Norwegian partner. Beta Film will handle distribution and take the project to market. German and Norwegian broadcasters are expected to be announced shortly.

Isdal Woman has fascinated people for almost 50 years, with the BBC reporting new findings as recently as this week. The case began in 1970 when hikers found the body of a woman in the Isdalen Valley on the west coast of Norway. Initially considered a suicide, the case took a mysterious turn when evidence came to light showing she was in possession of fake identities, fueling speculation that she may have been a Cold War spy. Her identity has still not been established.[ ]

Spy Series Based on Real-Life ‘Isdal Woman’ Mystery in the Works (EXCLUSIVE)

 

[Seabreeze1]

I have just finished the podcast associated with this case and I am fascinated.

 

[Stella]

I think she knew "they" were after her, which would account for the paranoia she showed in the frequent change of hotels and sometimes rooms in a single day. She rarely left her room(s). I can understand the different passports and wigs but not the hotels. My guess is she was a double agent and one or the other side ( my guess would be East Germany) had caught on to what she was doing. It would also account for such a punishing form of execution.

 

[worldwatcher]

10 Cities That Are Home To Unsolved Mysteries

The Isdal Woman is a name that was given to an unidentified woman whose body was discovered in Bergen, Norway in 1970. After her body was discovered, it was ruled that she had likely taken her own life, but the events that lead up to it and the circumstances of her discovery made the whole thing just too weird.

Her body had been burned beyond recognition and was bruised, apparently from a fall.
In her body, the autopsy revealed that she had taken several sleeping pills and there were quite a few near her as well. To make things even stranger, she was discovered to own a dozen passports with different names and had been seen checking into nearby hotels with multiple different aliases, making it impossible to figure out who she really was.

10 Cities That Are Home To Unsolved Mysteries

 

[Mrs. Badcrumble]

Isdalskvinnen was discovered 49 (!) years ago today.

 

[Richard]

Unknown Isdal Woman 1970

 

[Eman317]

The theory that his woman was a spy has always resonated with me the most. Its the only thing that makes sense as to why she would have multiple wigs, IDs, and passports. Her killers were most likely spies from an opposing country or perhaps her own government killed her because they deemed her a traitor. In any of these scenarios, I wouldn't be surprised if the government she worked for probably got in contact with the Norwegian government and told them to not investigate.

 

[Eman317]

One other theory I've seen people speculate is that she might have had multiple personality disorder. Each personality had a distinct hairstyle that they wanted which explains the many wigs, and all the IDs and passport correspond to a personality that was currently in control.

 

[NotSHolmes]

I came across a link to a newspaper containing the most amazing revelation - a photo of her in life! And the story behind the photo is just as intriguing:

Caption:
A Forbachian (inhabitant of Forbach), is convinced he crossed path with the mysterious unknown Norwegian woman back in 1970 - a face etched into his memory. He had stolen this photo from her.

The article (in French):
Mystère. Un Forbachois pense avoir connu l’inconnue tuée en Norvège