The Isdal Woman

Introduction

The Isdal Woman, also known as the "Unknown Woman of Isdal," is one of the most intriguing and mysterious cases of an unidentified person in the history of Norway. This case, which dates back to 1970, has remained unsolved for more than half a century, leaving behind a plethora of unanswered questions and theories.

The Isdal Woman's Body Discovered

On November 29, 1970, the charred and battered body of an unknown woman was found by a man and his two daughters who were out hiking in the Isdalen Valley near Bergen, Norway. The woman was lying in a remote area, surrounded by burnt trees and rocks. The cause of her death was determined to be a combination of carbon monoxide poisoning and burns. Furthermore, her body had been severely disfigured due to the fire, making it difficult to identify her.

Investigation of the Case

The investigation of the Isdal Woman case began immediately after her body was found. However, it soon became apparent that this was not going to be an easy case to solve. The woman had no identification on her body, and all labels had been removed from her clothing. Moreover, the police found that the woman had been extremely cautious and had taken several precautions to conceal her identity.

The woman had used different aliases during her stay in Norway, and she had checked into various hotels and rented apartments under false names. In fact, she had even paid for her accommodation in cash, leaving no trace of her identity. The police also found several suitcases belonging to her, which contained clothes, jewelry, wigs, and maps of different countries. The labels on her clothes had been removed, and some of them had been cut to remove any identification marks.

The police had found two used plastic bottles that contained traces of petrol, suggesting that the woman had used them to start the fire that had caused her death. Moreover, they had found a burned passport near the body, which they used to identify the woman's nationality as Belgian.

After conducting a thorough investigation, the police concluded that the Isdal Woman had been a victim of murder, and her death had been planned and executed with great care. The motive for her murder and the identity of the killer or killers, however, remained a mystery.

Theories about the Identity of the Isdal Woman

The Isdal Woman case has remained a mystery for over 50 years, and despite several attempts, no one has been able to identify her or solve the case. Over the years, various theories have emerged about the identity of the Isdal Woman, but none of them have been proven.

The most popular theory is that the Isdal Woman was a spy who had been sent to Norway to gather information about the country's oil reserves. This theory gained traction because of the precautions the woman had taken to conceal her identity and the fact that she had traveled to different countries, including the Soviet Union.

Another theory is that the Isdal Woman was involved in illegal activities such as drug trafficking or espionage. The fact that she had used different aliases and had paid for her accommodation in cash suggests that she was trying to avoid detection.

A third theory is that the Isdal Woman was the victim of a botched abortion. Some have speculated that she had gone to Norway to have an abortion, which was illegal in Belgium at the time. However, the procedure went wrong, leading to her death.

Despite the various theories that have emerged over the years, the identity of the Isdal Woman remains a mystery.

Investigations in the Recent Past

In 2016, the Norwegian police decided to reopen the investigation into the Isdal Woman case, hoping to use modern forensic techniques to solve the case. They conducted DNA tests on the woman's teeth and bones, hoping to find a match with any missing person's case in Europe or beyond. The results of the DNA tests were inconclusive, and the case remains unsolved.

In 2020, a Norwegian filmmaker, Mads Brügger, released a documentary about the Isdal Woman case, titled "Cold Case Hammarskjöld." The film explores the theory that the Isdal Woman was a victim of a larger conspiracy involving the death of the UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld in a plane crash in 1961. Brügger's documentary suggests that the Isdal Woman may have been involved in espionage and may have had information about the circumstances surrounding Hammarskjöld's death.

Conclusion

The Isdal Woman case is one of the most intriguing and mysterious cases of an unidentified person in the history of Norway. Despite several attempts to identify her, the woman's identity and the circumstances surrounding her death remain a mystery. The case has given rise to several theories, including the possibility that the woman was a spy or involved in illegal activities. The recent investigations have failed to solve the case, leaving the Isdal Woman as an enigma wrapped in mystery, with her true identity and the motive for her murder still unknown.