Thomas Blomgren, 14 - murdered, Sweden - unsolved

[Bosie]

I want to highlight a case from the area around my hometown in Sweden. In 1964, 16th of may. 14 year old Thomas Blomgren went to a "Folkets park" (say a sort of fair ground/dance venue) during a Christian Holiday called "Pentecost", a yearly celebration in Sweden.
He was small for his age, he went alone to the park area to watch a show and meet up with different classmates. After the show he went around and played some games (chocolate wheal, shooting, machines) and was observed by several youths.
On his way home (only a walk of about 6–10 minutes) at around 23:00 PM he disappeared. His mother went out to look for him around the neighborhood and was joined by his father. The police were contacted around 01:20.

The following day. Thomas Blomgrens body was found (dead) in a storage unit, in a shed on the same street that lead to his home (on a parallel street) a 3-minute walk at the end of the road).
He was lying on his stomach, legs bent up against the wall. Fully dressed and bleeding from the nose. There was also a laceration at his right temple.
The coroner deemed the cause of death as suffocation (one or two hands covering the boys moth and nose). The laceration on the skull from being hit with a blunt object or a fist.
The boy was fully dressed at discovery, there were indications of a possible (attempt) of sexual assault. On Thomas body there were blood on different parts of clothing, as well as on his underwear (only at the top) and a smudged bloody handprint on his undershirt. The latter, the police and coroner interpreted, as the perpetrator had put his hand in to feel if his heart was still beating.

There was a massive search and extensive police investigation that yielded few results. And nobody was ever convicted of the crime.

If anyone have any ideas, information, statistics or want to know more in depth information about this case. Please contact me. I am researching this and need expertise as well as people who are able to think outside the box.
I can give more information if needed.

Thank you for your interest.

 

[scandinavian girl]

What immediately stood out to me was, he was walking to the Folkets Park alone, other youths saw him but was he going to meet a friend/s there. The non sexual attack makes me think of bullying, any reports on that. Finally I must say a little Hej!! to a fellow swede.

 

[Hunter2_1]

Really sad.

Something sticking out for me is 23:00 is a very late time for a parent (or parents) to allow a 14 year old to be walking home alone. But I don’t know what the culture was like in the 60s in Sweden. Maybe things like this just weren’t thought about? Or maybe he didn’t have a particularly caring family? It’s a big jump to make, I know.

No suspects or anything?

 

[scandinavian girl]

Really sad.

Something sticking out for me is 23:00 is a very late time for a parent (or parents) to allow a 14 year old to be walking home alone. But I don’t know what the culture was like in the 60s in Sweden. Maybe things like this just weren’t thought about? Or maybe he didn’t have a particularly caring family? It’s a big jump to make, I know.

No suspects or anything?

I was 14 in the 70´s and there were no parental supervision to talk about. Sweden at that time was very safe the only thing parents were on about was alcohol. When we went there it was always the same group of people (I lived in a small town) and I cant recall anyone who was there on his/her own. That is why it stood out to me and bullying existed but it was not talked about like it is today. Oh the folk park closed usually at 1 am, then we either walked, hitchhiked or jumped into cars with older boys. It was a great time.

 

[Bosie]

What immediately stood out to me was, he was walking to the Folkets Park alone, other youths saw him but was he going to meet a friend/s there. The non sexual attack makes me think of bullying, any reports on that. Finally I must say a little Hej!! to a fellow swede.

Yes. He did engage with friends at the fair. But seemingly did not really "hang out with them". The police believed he had been a victim on a sort of "homosexual predator" that had proposition him and it went side-ways and they "accidentally" so to speak, killed the boy to prevent him from screaming.
Hej! Ja, svensk här. Mycket underligt fall. Har besällt ut polisrapporter nu senast från polisarkiver. Men behöver hjälp. Det är intressant att fundera i banor om mobbning.

 

[Bosie]

Really sad.

Something sticking out for me is 23:00 is a very late time for a parent (or parents) to allow a 14 year old to be walking home alone. But I don’t know what the culture was like in the 60s in Sweden. Maybe things like this just weren’t thought about? Or maybe he didn’t have a particularly caring family? It’s a big jump to make, I know.

No suspects or anything?

I believe his parent cared. But, in Sweden it is very normal to walk home in the dark. Even more so back in the day. It was a large festive day and the parents may have been drinking too and not being in their most alert minds, so to speak. The father told police he had offered to meet him up, but the bout didn't want his pears to see such a thing because it would be embarrassing for him.

 

[Bosie]

I was 14 in the 70´s and there were no parental supervision to talk about. Sweden at that time was very safe the only thing parents were on about was alcohol. When we went there it was always the same group of people (I lived in a small town) and I cant recall anyone who was there on his/her own. That is why it stood out to me and bullying existed but it was not talked about like it is today. Oh the folk park closed usually at 1 am, then we either walked, hitchhiked or jumped into cars with older boys. It was a great time.

I have a few questions for you then: 1). Was it common for "drunk old men" or "weird older men" to give girls or boys money for entrance tickets? 2). If so, were those "creepy men" known my locals/police? 3). Was it a common place for perverts or people "interested" in children to hang around?

 

[scandinavian girl]

I have a few questions for you then: 1). Was it common for "drunk old men" or "weird older men" to give girls or boys money for entrance tickets? 2). If so, were those "creepy men" known my locals/police? 3). Was it a common place for perverts or people "interested" in children to hang around?

1. Never experienced, heard of any perverts, I probably didn´t know what that was at the time. The place itself didn´t sell alcohol so that part happened in the parkinglot or in the woods outside the venue. I have no idea what the police knew but they occasionally drove an overdrunk teen home. This sounds horrible when I read what I am writing 50 years later but we always felt safe.