Reconstructions by Hew Morrison, Stephen Missal, and Audun Hetlands; personal items, handwriting, fingerprints, approximation of teeth during life, and dental work.
Reconstructions by Hew Morrison, Stephen Missal, and Audun Hetlands; personal items, handwriting, fingerprints, approximation of teeth during life, and dental work.
Date of Discovery: November 29, 1970
Location of Discovery: Isdalen Valley, Bergen, Norway
Estimated Date of Death: Several days prior
State of Remains: Not recognizable - Charred/burned
Cause of Death: Fenemal and carbon-monoxide poisoning. Her death was ruled to be suicide but others believe she was murdered.
Estimated Age: 25-40 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 5'4" to 5'5" (164 cm)
Weight: 124 lbs. (56 kg.)
Hair: Black to brown; worn in a ponytail with a blue and white print ribbon.
Eye Color: Brown
AKA: Genevieve Lancier; Claudia Tielt; Alexia Zerner-Merches; Vera Jarle; Fenella Lorch; Elisabeth Leenhower;
Distinguishing Marks/Features: She spoke German, English, Belgian, Flemish, and French with an unknown accent. It was mentioned by witnesses that her English had not been perfected. She was said to have smoked South State cigarettes. Broad hips, small ears and a round face.
Dentals: Available. A gap was present between her upper-front top incisors. Distinctive dentistry, including unusual gold crowns. 14 full or partial root canals. Bottom wisdom teeth present. Marked spacing between the two foremost teeth in upper jaw. Possibly performed Far East, Central/Southern Europe or South America.
Fingerprints: Available
DNA: Available
Clothing: Dark blue bubble jacket with a belt with lockable rings, blue knitted jacket, black outer trousers, large checkered green and blue shawl made from woollen fabric, semi-long blue rubber boots with white upper rim, drawstrings in front. Brown faux fur cape.
Jewelry: Solo brand sports watch made of steel. Round gold filigri earrings. Gold ring set with large cameo.
Additional Personal Items: Nine fake passports and used wigs. Blue nylon ladies' umbrella. Three suitcases containing clothing, a comb, hairbrush, cosmetics, some teaspoons, and a tube of prescription eczema cream with the victim's name and her doctor's scraped off.
The victim was located in Isdalen, outside of Bergen, Norway on November 29, 1970.
Located next to her was a St. Hallvards liquor bottle, two plastic bottles smelling of gasoline, a glass that had contained sleeping pills fenemal, and a silver spoon with the monogram filed off.
A drawing was soon made made of her based on statements by witnesses who recognized her as an attractive woman who had checked out of the Hordaheimen hotel. She had signed the guest book with a false name.
The boxes at the railway station were checked, and the police found clothing, a wig, several eyeglasses (no prescription), similar silver spoons, 500 German marks and 130 Norwegian crowns, also a black notebook with number and letter codes. (possibly her travel route and contacts in Norway). All labels had been removed from the clothing, and all identifying things removed from the luggage.
What is known about her travels:
March 20, 1970 - she travels from Geneva to Oslo
March 21-24, 1970 - she lives at Hotel Viking in Oslo using the name "Genevieve Lancier".
March 24 - flies from Oslo to Stavanger, takes the boat to Bergen, stays the night at Hotel Bristol using the name "Claudia Tielt".
March 25 - April 1- stays at hotel Scandia in Bergen, still as "C. Tielt"
April 1 - travels from Bergen to Stavanger, and on to Kristiansand, Hirtshals, Hamburg and Basel. Thats the last trace of her in Norway until she returns six months later.
October 3 - travels from Stockholm to Oslo, and on to Oppdal.
October 22 - stays at hotel Altona in Paris
October 23 - 29 - stays at Hotel de Calais in Paris
October 29 - 30 - goes from Paris to Stavanger and on to Bergen
October 30 - November 5 - checks in to hotel Neptun using the name "Alexia Zerner-Merches"; she meets an unknown man at the hotel.
November 6 - 9 - she travels to Trondheim, lives at hotel Bristol using the name "Vera Jarle".
November 9 - goes to Oslo and on to Stavanger where she stays at Hotel St. Svitun using the name "Fenella Lorch".
November 18 - goes with the boat Vingtor to Bergen where she stays at hotel Rosenkrantz using the name "Elisabeth Leenhower" from Belgium.
November 19- 23 - stays at hotel Hordaheimen, stays in the room a lot and seems watchful.
November 23 - leaves the hotel in the morning, pays in cash and goes to the railway station where she places 2 pieces of luggage in a depository box.
November 29 - she is located dead in Isdalen.
Police claim she committed suicide; rumors say she was a spy and the answers to her identification will be found in Moscow; other rumors theorize she was killed by someone she was close to.
Smoke particles were observed in her lungs, which showed she had been alive when set on fire, in addition to ingesting a fatal combination of the sleeping medication and alcohol. There were also indications of manual strangulation based on bruising on her neck.
A book has been written about this case: Tore Osland - Isdals Kvinnen - Operasjon Isotopsy.
In 2016, the remains were examined again and isotopic analysis was performed and indicated she spent the first part of her life in central or eastern Europe (perhaps Germany or France), but spent her adolescence farther west. Her handwriting indicated she was European with possibly French origin.
Agency Name: Kripos
Agency Contact Person: Anonym Tipstelefon
Agency Phone Number: 22 22 37 00
Agency E-Mail: N/A
Agency Case Number: N/A
Agency Name: Interpol
Agency Contact Person: N/A
Agency FAX Number: (33) 4 72 44 71 63
Agency Conatct Link: https://www.interpol.int/Contact-INTERPOL
Agency Case Number: N/A
Wikipedia
BBC News (5/13/17)
BBC News (5/19/17)
NRK (11/29/16)
NRK (11/29/16)
NRK (5/19/17)
The Press and Journal
The Sun
Interpol
TVNORGE
Added: 7/16/2006; Last Updated: 4/10/2022
Questions or comments? Please contact appropriate member of the Area Team
** Listed information may be estimated.
Return Home