Norway Norway - Oslo, WhtFem 20-30, Fake Name, shot in hotel room, Jun'95

[Mireille]

It is indeed food. Exactly what the autopsy said was in her stomach. They said it smelled a little acrid when they entered. Could it have been the old food combined with the sheer amount of blood. Creamed anything will start to smell if left out.

 

[Mireille]

There was not found any gunshot powder residue on her hands. Her hands also had no bruising from recoil. There was also no blood spatter on her hand. Despite blood spatter being everywhere else. In fact that hand and ring looks absolutely pristine and clean.

I rather doubt this hand fired 2 shots.

 

[ApparentlyInDenial]

I have always been , not great, at reading signatures. But on this slip, you see the words
"Signature" and "Guest signature"
Meaning there should be two signatures. The people signing would be the person whom takes the room in their name, and their guest.
View attachment 293149
So I believe the first signature, the one looking like a T with a line through it, is one, and the big T or J ending with, what looks like fate and a dot (.) is Jennifer.

It says 'Signatur' (Norwegian spelling) and 'Guest signature' (English spelling). I think it's just for one signature...

 

[Mireille]

It says 'Signatur' (Norwegian spelling) and 'Guest signature' (English spelling). I think it's just for one signature...

You are absolutely right.

Odd choice in design from the hotel's part, I have to say. Seeing all others seem to be norwegian/english, this is the only thing seperated into two lines. Odd for them to specify guest on one line though. Since, by logic, should have been present in the other one as well. It should have said "Gjeste-signatur" or something akin to that.

When I have checked into hotels, as someone's guest. I had to sign in as well, even if the one paying had their name on it. This was after the 90's however.

More image spam from me (sosorrinotsorri)

This is from her sweater. That looks like a recent snip/cut. Like it hasn't even been washed since it is such a clean line. just my personal opinion.

The bin is lacking it's bin-bag. The one in the bathroom still had one. Odd.

 

[branmuffin]

That isn't correct. Look at the attached; the "Cash" option is ticked, and there's an amount due (in cash).

That's payment for the two days accommodation. This is repeated in the "2DY' code top-right, which means two days, double, two guests/standard day rate in Amadeus hotel/agent codes.

The reminder sent to her room was because she'd ordered room services and pay-per-view without having a credit card on file.

Even back then if you were paying cash, the room rate was paid up front. Any incidentals like food or beverage were paid at check out to avoid skipping out on the whole bill.

Back in the late 80s and early 90s I traveled to Europe a few times and you sent cheques to smaller establishments like B&Bs or provided your credit card details over the phone to larger hotels like this on. She must have stated when she made the reservation she was paying cash listed. If they didnt collect when she checked in it may mean they were familiar with her or they were really busy. I can't say she paid the room rental on arrival because that hasn't been established to my knowledge. If they were concerned only about room service, one meal and several soft drinks I can't see sending security up for that.

Jennifer is not a common name in Norway. There is a similar'ish name, Jannicke, which was popular back in the 80-90's sometime, thanks to a norwegian artist.

I worked with a woman from the Netherlands whose name was Janneke pronounced Yanneke.

 

[branmuffin]

Ok, I apologize. I thought I watched a video reenactment of actors checking and it was the younger male employee, Sascha, who thought Jennifer exchanged USD, but it seems it was actually the front desk supervisor, Tudem.

Mystery at the Oslo Plaza

Quoted:
In her police statement, Tudem Gjertsen said it might have been in connection with exchanging currency that she saw the couple, and that it might have been later in the evening. In 1995, it was common for hotel guests to obtain local currency at the front desk.

"I have a feeling that the man handed money over the counter and that it may have been dollars, but I’m not sure," Tudem Gjertsen says today. "Nor can I say if the man was with her when she came. But I stand by seeing her in front of the counter with a man."

How late would that be? I was under the impression that she checked in after 10pm.

 

[branmuffin]

This might be a bit 'out there' but it seems those soda bottles have had their lids placed back on top (zoom+++ and you'll see it, the colours are different per drink). These would have been pop-off lids, so they couldn't have been replaced securely, but... wtf?

Yes, they definitely have the tops put back on. Maybe not put back on properly but it could be an attempt to keep them from going flat. I don't know whether there is a fridge in the base of the desk. Do we know that for a fact? I've also never seen an ice machine in a hotel in Europe. I was in Barcelona in 2019 in a really nice hotel but we didn't have a fridge in the room. It didn't matter to us since we ate all our meals in restaurants and we weren't hanging in the room watching tv.

 

[branmuffin]

I have always been , not great, at reading signatures. But on this slip, you see the words
"Signature" and "Guest signature"
Meaning there should be two signatures. The people signing would be the person whom takes the room in their name, and their guest.
View attachment 293149
So I believe the first signature, the one looking like a T with a line through it, is one, and the big T or J ending with, what looks like fate and a dot (.) is Jennifer.

I find it impossible to decipher someone's signature, sometimes. Letters are missing, just squiggles where a whole word should be.

 

[annpats]

This might be a bit 'out there' but it seems those soda bottles have had their lids placed back on top. These would have been pop-off lids, so they couldn't have been replaced securely, but... wtf?

Like you say, the caps may have just been placed back without being secured on tight.....but it's a weird OCD thing to do. Once they're off, just leave them on the desk, or put them in the bin.
Especially if the bottle is already empty, you're not trying to keep your drink fizzy after you've opened it.
It's yet another odd thing. In fact, is there anything in this case that is normal?

 

[annpats]

Oh, and also the ironing board in her room. Not standard issue in rooms and there was no record of her requesting one from room service.
So, it must have been brought into her room from another guest's room. Maybe room 2816, where the newspaper came from?

I'm surprised the staff and other guests didn't see more going on....sounds like "Jennifer" and at least one other person were in and out of rooms quite often, and moving things about also.
Her suitcase was missing, well, that was moved somewhere, and also some of her clothes and toiletry/cosmetic items too. Taken to another room, I believe. MOO.

If only there was a CCTV camera along the corridor. That would be interesting. But, 1995.

 

[elbowgeek]

I'm surprised the staff and other guests didn't see more going on....sounds like "Jennifer" and at least one other person were in and out of rooms quite often, and moving things about also.

I've been curious about this myself. Apparently someone did actually complain to management about the habits of the couple, but there seems to be little information on the exact nature of the complaint. This is ridiculous as I believe this could tell us a lot more about the couple's purpose for being in the hotel in the first place.

The other baffling thing is the purpose of the USA Today newspaper which was nicked from another room. Of all things, this makes no sense at all, as she would have had her own delivered. Also, it's not a particularly neighbourly thing to do anyway. I can only think that perhaps it was used to slip some paperwork or a message to Jennifer undercover.

 

[SimplyCass]

View attachment 293152
It is indeed food. Exactly what the autopsy said was in her stomach. They said it smelled a little acrid when they entered. Could it have been the old food combined with the sheer amount of blood. Creamed anything will start to smell if left out.

I interpreted "acrid smell" as being from the gun firing twice in such a small area, not from the food.

Like you say, the caps may have just been placed back without being secured on tight.....but it's a weird OCD thing to do. Once they're off, just leave them on the desk, or put them in the bin.
Especially if the bottle is already empty, you're not trying to keep your drink fizzy after you've opened it.
It's yet another odd thing. In fact, is there anything in this case that is normal?

To make things worse: why is there open bottles of Coke and Diet Coke? I drink Coke and I would never drink Diet, and I'm sure vice versa for people who prefer diet.

 

[Mireille]

I interpreted "acrid smell" as being from the gun firing twice in such a small area, not from the food.


To make things worse: why is there open bottles of Coke and Diet Coke? I drink Coke and I would never drink Diet, and I'm sure vice versa for people who prefer diet.

There are 3 bottles on the desk. 1 diet coke 1 reg coke, 1 that I think is solo. Which is a soda mostly native to Scandinavia, I think. I think she or her guest got them from the hotel rooms bar that is underneath the desk.

Wonder if they were dna tested. Hmmm...

I read somewhere, that it was described as "sur lukt". This translates directly to sour smell, but it just means something smells bad.

With that much blood on the sheets, the room had to reek of that weird blood smell.

 

[annpats]

The other baffling thing is the purpose of the USA Today newspaper which was nicked from another room. Of all things, this makes no sense at all, as she would have had her own delivered.

Although only one newspaper was found, so what did happen to her own? Maybe she didn't order one.
But the room number (2816) written on the newspaper found in Jennifer's room corresponds with the room where the guest Borghild Strandenes, heard a series of loud bangs on the Friday night/early hours of Saturday morning? She was staying in 2818.

If only the hotel had investigated the guest in 2816 better. Borghild said she contacted police about what she heard too.

I think the guest in 2816 is key to all of this, and this is where she was disappearing to, and where her suitcase, clothes and cosmetic items were.

 

[Beekarina]

Interesting about the missing bing bag.

I wonder. Did the papers arrive in a bag as well?

Something else I am thinking about here:

Wouldn't a European address in *most* countries be Street name 148 vs 148 Street Name?

When I check a "random address" site to test this, France is one country written as 148 Street Name. Belgium & Germany both would be Street Name 148.

 

[Beekarina]

To make things worse: why is there open bottles of Coke and Diet Coke? I drink Coke and I would never drink Diet, and I'm sure vice versa for people who prefer diet.

You might open them and drink both, if you were waiting in a hotel room for a long period of time with nothing else to drink.

 

[Beekarina]

There was not found any gunshot powder residue on her hands. Her hands also had no bruising from recoil. There was also no blood spatter on her hand. Despite blood spatter being everywhere else. In fact that hand and ring looks absolutely pristine and clean.
View attachment 293161
I rather doubt this hand fired 2 shots.

I'm not a firearms expert like some of those who have posted, but from my personal experience, I feel a gun like this would have enough "kick" that everything would not be lined up so neatly after she shot herself. At minimum, it seems he hand would be off to the side. I could see the force, etc skewing the gun entirely onto the bed or something. It feels more "off" to me, then the possibility of someone shooting her and carefully replacing the gun.

 

[Mireille]

I'm not a firearms expert like some of those who have posted, but from my personal experience, I feel a gun like this would have enough "kick" that everything would not be lined up so neatly after she shot herself. At minimum, it seems he hand would be off to the side. I could see the force, etc skewing the gun entirely onto the bed or something. It feels more "off" to me, then the possibility of someone shooting her and carefully replacing the gun.

I agree with you. According to what I found of sources, she shot herself in the front of the forehead, middle. Using her thumb, which is, very awkward since most would just use their finger on the trigger. The position of both hands up by her chest is odd. Was she laying down when she shot herself? The gun is placed in her hand as if she is just 'holding it'. With the thumb on the trigger of course.

There was a study in the late 90's where they looked into amongst other things, how hands landed after someone shot themselves.
You can find that here: Weapon location following suicidal gunshot wounds - PubMed

I will just copy-paste some ....

The location of the gun following suicidal gunshot wound was studied by reviewing 574 such deaths in which the scene was investigated by a medical examiner investigator and the body was examined at the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office in San Antonio, Texas. The position of the gun could not be established in 76 cases. In the remaining 498 cases, the gun remained in the deceased's hand in 24% of the cases. In 69% of the cases, the gun was on or near the body but not in the hand (i.e., touching the body or within 30 cm of the body). The gun was found >30 cm from the body in the remaining 7% of cases. In the case of handguns, the gun was found in the hand in 25.7% of individuals. For individuals using long guns, the firearm was in the hand of the decedent in 19.5% of cases. The gun had a greater chance of remaining in the deceased's hand if the person was lying or sitting when the gunshot wound was received. Variables such as gender of the individual, wound location, and caliber of handgun were not significant in predicting whether the gun stayed in the hand after a suicidal gunshot wound.

So there is a rough 1/4 chance of it remaining in her hand (though I do not know in what way these people shot themselves)

 

[Mireille]

Interesting about the missing bing bag.

I wonder. Did the papers arrive in a bag as well?

Something else I am thinking about here:

Wouldn't a European address in *most* countries be Street name 148 vs 148 Street Name?

When I check a "random address" site to test this, France is one country written as 148 Street Name. Belgium & Germany both would be Street Name 148.

England has numbers first. For example.
1 Newton Street<----the street address for a Birmingham Courthouse.

 

[FaerieDust]

England has numbers first. For example.
1 Newton Street<----the street address for a Birmingham Courthouse.

Yeah I used to live in France and our address was in the format "123, street name".