Casefile True Crime - Case 222: Karina Holmer

Episode Date: September 10, 2022

In 1996, Karina Holmer left her small Swedish village of Skillingaryd to travel to Boston, Massachusetts. The 19-year-old had plans to work as an au pair with an American family who lived in an affluent neighbourhood called Dover. Karina settled in well with her host family: married couple Frank Rapp and Susan Nichter and their two young children. But just three months after arriving in Dover, Karina suddenly disappeared after a night out with friends... --- Narration – Anonymous Host Research & writing – Jessica Forsayeth Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn Sign up for Casefile Premium: Apple Premium Spotify Premium Patreon This episode's sponsors: DoorDash – Get 25% off up to $10 value on your first order of $15 or more with promo code ‘CASEFILE’ Casefile Truth & Deception – Get the new Casefile board game For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-222-karina-holmer

Our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents. If you feel at any time you need support, please contact your local Crisis Centre. For suggested phone numbers for confidential support, please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website. Carina Holmar scratched the final panel on the lottery ticket and was surprised to discover that she'd won 10,000 Swedish krona. The win couldn't have come at a better time. It was only one week until 19-year-old Carina was set to leave her small Swedish village

in Schillingarud to travel to the USA. Her unexpected but welcome win for, which in 1996 was the equivalent of roughly US$1,500, granted Carina extra spending money for her overseas adventure. Carina wasn't going to the United States just for a holiday. She had signed up to be an au pair with a company in Sweden that matched young women with American families looking for nannies. Carina would provide childcare and light housekeeping duties to her host family, and in return they would give her board and a small allowance.

One of Carina's three sisters previously worked as an au pair and had encouraged her to do the same as a way to experience living overseas. The arrangement would also help Carina save money, which she could put towards pursuing her ultimate career goal of becoming a restaurant manager. Carina had already completed trade school in the hospitality industry. The company matched Carina with the family in the affluent town of Dover around 15 miles southwest of downtown Boston, Massachusetts. She was looking forward to exploring Boston as she'd never experienced life in a bustling

city before. In March 1996, Carina prepared to leave her small village of fewer than 100 people for Dover, which had a population of around 4,000. Although outgoing and social, Carina was quite dependent on her friends and family. By working in America, she hoped to show her parents that she could stand on her own two feet. Carina was happy and excited as she farewelled her family at the airport. Just before she boarded the plane, she said,

I hope I'm doing the right thing. Upon arriving in Dover, Carina settled in well with her host family. 43-year-old Frank Rapp worked as a photographer. His wife, Susan Nichter, was an artist who painted for a living. The couple had two children, a six-year-old boy and a toddler-aged daughter. Frank and Susan weren't strangers to hosting an au pair. Carina was the sixth Swedish nanny to stay with them. Described by neighbors as a well-to-do couple, Frank and Susan's three-story landscape home

offered Carina ample space and privacy when needed. Naturally athletic as a Pony Club member and one-time Girl Scout, Carina spent her days playing games such as soccer and basketball with the children. Her time was also spent completing household chores. The two children quickly grew fond of Carina, who was gentle, patient, affectionate and optimistic. In the evenings, she often joined other au pairs at nightclubs and cafes in the Boston area. She formed close friendships with her colleagues and the young women bonded over their shared

experiences in a foreign country. As Carina only worked weekdays, Frank Rapp made her an offer. It was one he had made to all the nannies who had looked after his children in the past. On weekends, Carina could crash at his loft apartment in South Boston, which he used as a photography studio. This would allow her to enjoy Boston on her days off without having to worry about making her way back to Dover each night. Carina eagerly accepted and spent the majority of her weekends in the city with her au pair

friends. One of the most exciting dates on the Swedish calendar is mid-summer, celebrated at the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. On Friday, June 21, 1996, when Carina Holmer was three months into her American adventure, she decided that being on the other side of the world gave her no less reason to celebrate. Carina told her host family that she planned to go to Boston for the weekend and would be back on Sunday evening. She pulled on a grey and silver sweater, shiny grey pants and black ankle boots before leaving

for the city on Friday afternoon with another female nanny. The two made their way to Boylston Place in downtown Boston. The area, brimming with nightclubs, was known to au pairs and locals alike as a popular place for international tourists. Carina and her friend chose to visit two nightclubs, Zanzibar and Mercury Bar, as many from their social circle would be there. At five foot three inches tall and with a face described as sweet and innocent, Carina Holmer looked more like a 16-year-old than her nearly 20 years.

This coupled with the fact that the legal drinking age in the US was 21 meant she had to use a fake ID to get into the clubs. It worked as it had many times before. Carina and her group of approximately a dozen friends spent the night drinking and dancing. At two the following morning they spilled out onto the street as Zanzibar closed its doors. Carina, who was heavily intoxicated, began talking and dancing with passers-by, including a nearby panhandler. She also stopped to chat to a man walking a large white dog, both of whom were dressed

in matching Superman t-shirts. Half an hour after leaving Zanzibar, Carina was still outside the club, having a conversation with two men. Her friend, who was sitting in a nearby car, asked her boyfriend to tell Carina they were leaving. As the boyfriend spoke with Carina, the two men she was with began swearing at him, asking �Who do you think you are?� When Carina heard her friends were leaving, she opted to stay behind, replying that she

would see them later. On Sunday, June 23, the day Carina was expected to return to Dover, her employer, Frank Rapp, received a phone call. It was from Carina's friend, who had accompanied her to Boston that weekend. She was wondering if Carina had preemptively returned to Dover, as no one in the city knew where she was. Concerned, Frank drove to his loft. Upon entering, he saw some of Carina's belongings lying around, but the 19-year-old wasn't

there. As no one could pinpoint where Carina might have wound up after the club's closed in the early hours of Saturday morning, Frank phoned the Boston police to report her missing. Hours later, a homeless man made his way along Boylston Street. He passed the closed Zanzibar nightclub before turning down Ipswich Street at the end. Although connected to various main thoroughfares, the street itself was relatively quiet. It ran parallel with a train track and was overlooked by several apartment blocks. On the other side of the railway was the Massachusetts turnpike, and above was the Charles Gate overpass.

As the homeless man walked along Ipswich Street, he checked the dumpsters for recyclable cans that he could trade for cash. At around 1.30pm, he was examining a dumpster behind an apartment building and noticed a plastic garbage bag within. Inside, he came across another plastic bag. He untied this second bag and saw something horrifying. It was a woman's arm, her fingernails painted with nail polish. Terrified, the man fled to notify the authorities.

When police arrived at the scene, they discovered that the bag contained the upper half of a woman. Her lower body and legs were missing. It was Carina Holmar. Paint ligature marks on Carina's neck indicated she had been strangled with a piece of rope or cord. Following her murder, Carina was severed in two, likely by a power saw. Her makeup had been removed and her body was completely washed clean.

It was believed that her remains were dumped on the Saturday, sometime after Carina had separated from her friends. Her exact time of death was difficult to ascertain as there were no markings on her body caused by blood settling. This suggested she had either been held captive prior to her murder or that she had lost too much blood during the act. The brutal way in which Carina had been mutilated by her killer or killers made her murder particularly unusual.

The Boston police, who were no strangers to homicides, were left shocked by Carina's treatment and vowed to catch those responsible. They speculated that her assailant had soared her in half because it made her remains easier to transport, or perhaps it was done to cover up evidence of a sexual assault on the lower portion of her body. Forensic psychologists believed the seemingly opportunistic crime was carried out by a first time killer. Despite the killer's inexperience, they were described as careful, cunning and clever.

They did not panic in the wake of the crime and were in no rush to determine how and where to dispose of Carina's body. Helen Fox, Dean of the College of Criminal Justice at Northwestern University, said, We're not talking about a bizarre maniac. Either it's someone who had some relationship with Carina, or we're talking about a stranger who has a great deal of control over his behaviour, who could very well have a good job and neighbours and friends. But for whom rape and murder is done for pleasure?

Lieutenant Robert O'Toole, who was assigned to the case, confirmed in the Boston Globe that initial investigations would focus on Carina's movements from the last time her friends reported seeing her. CCTV footage from inside and outside Zanzibar nightclub was taken for analysis. While the Boston Police Department had confirmed early on that the body was that of Carina Holmar, when they went to check her name through all the various agencies that hired international or pairs, they received a surprise. Her name wasn't on any of them.

Over in Sweden, Carina's parents returned from a night out to discover multiple messages on their home phone's answering machine. They were from the Boston Police, advising them of their daughter's murder. A media frenzy followed the discovery of Carina's body, and the story dominated headlines in Massachusetts and Sweden. Boston's mayor implored reporters to let investigators do their job without getting in the way. Carina's parents were repeatedly asked for interviews but were too distraught to speak

with the press. Her sister, Johanna, provided a comment to the Boston Globe, stating, Of course we know that such things can happen over there, but it's nothing that you expect. Carina's friends told the press she had been sensible but also very trusting of others and not particularly street wise. A Swedish salon owner who lived and worked in Boston attributed this to a difference in cultures, telling the Boston Globe quote, This is not Sweden, and the young girls don't realize that.

There is much more violence around here, and you have to be careful, especially when you go drinking. Sweden is not like this. Being there is on a smaller scale. You are more protected. All pair agencies offered counseling to nannies in the area, as many struggled to come to terms with the death of one of their friends. A police spokesperson tried to calm the public and reassured them it was still safe to go

out, stating, There is not a mad killer running through Boston scooping up young women from clubs. Still, local nightspots saw a decrease in business, with many people reporting that they were choosing to stay home instead. One woman around the same age as Carina said, I know people that won't even go out now, but if you do, it's worth it to take a cab. $5 can save your life. Law enforcement officials painted Carina Homer as a party animal who was known to go out

clubbing often. One source said it was difficult to track where she had gone and with whom, because she socialized with, quote, A loose running crowd, the party animals of party animals. Carina's host mother, Susan Nickter, denied these allegations, telling the media that Carina had only been drinking a lot on the night she went missing because she was celebrating mid-summer, adding that this was probably why she got into trouble. She described Carina as typically having very good judgment.

Meanwhile, detectives discovered that Carina had gained employment in the United States through a Stockholm au pair agency run by 46-year-old Tage Sundin. After learning of Carina's death, Sundin told Swedish newspaper Expressen that although his agency found work for au pairs, he did not provide them with the special 13-month visa they required to work in the US. This was why Carina's name was not recorded in any official documentation. Tage Sundin, who had previously been charged twice with illegal employment practices, admitted that au pairs, including Carina Holmar, were technically illegal immigrants.

Although most official agencies checked in with their overseas au pairs to see how they were going, he hadn't heard from Carina since she left Sweden. He was devastated by Carina's murder and publicly claimed responsibility for her death, closing down his business soon after. While Boston police said that finding out more about Carina would help them track down her killer, a spokesperson was quick to point out that investigators were no closer to finding them. A criminologist discussed Carina's case with the Boston Globe, saying,

These kinds of events are incredibly rare. The mutilation of a body is not common in homicide. When it does happen, it gets a lot of attention and we tend to think it's more common than it is. Although Carina had only been in the US for approximately three months, investigators worked with the theory that she knew her killer. As it turned out, there were multiple people of interest. Carina's employer Frank Rapp caught the attention of detectives early in the investigation.

As one of the individuals closest to Carina, the 43-year-old had to be questioned. Investigators first spoke to Frank the day after Carina's body was identified. He gave an alibi for the night in question, telling detectives that after Carina left with her friend to celebrate mid-summer, he went with Susan and his children to McDonald's and to drive in movie theater. After that, they all returned to their home in Dover, where Frank stayed for the remainder of the weekend. His wife Susan confirmed this, as did her parents, who had been staying with them at

the time. A background check showed that Frank Rapp had previously run into trouble with the law. Five years earlier in 1991, he was arrested for physically assaulting Susan. As reported in the Boston Globe, Frank appeared in court on charges of assault and battery. Susan filed a restraining order against him, but later asked that it be removed and all charges against Frank be dropped after he agreed to treatment for alcoholism. Although Susan Nectar refused to elaborate on the incident when interviewed by the media, she did say that the arrest turned out to be a very positive thing for both of them.

Later adding, What happened with Frank and I in the past is not going to do anything to help find this person who killed Carina. I have a very solid, loving relationship with my husband. Susan told the Boston Globe that Carina was the perfect playmate and caregiver for her children, stating, She was a really lovely girl. She was the sweetest, kindest person who wouldn't hurt a fly.

She was so responsible and sensible. Frank added that their thoughts and prayers were with Carina's family. The evening after Frank's first police interview, homicide detectives and cadaver dogs descended on his downtown loft. After a six hour search, they left with six bags of evidence, including a bag full of Carina's clothing and what was described in the media as soft pornography. Detectives hoped that an examination of the apartment might reveal whether Carina made it back there after her night out at Zanzibar.

However, this was unable to be determined. There were no signs that anything underwater occurred in the loft, with cadaver dogs failing to pick up anything of forensic importance. That same night, approximately 30 hours after Carina's body was found, a fire broke out in a dumpster approximately 200 feet from Frank and Susan's dover home. The blazer's proximity to the rap household did not go unnoticed by police, who requested a second interview with Frank the next day. This time, he attended homicide headquarters with his lawyer.

Once the interrogation was over, Frank told the Boston Globe that he had been ruled out of the investigation, stating, I am definitely not a suspect. I answered questions and cooperated with authorities because we want to get this case solved. My family is completely devastated. Lieutenant Robodeau Tool disputed this assertion in a news conference, explaining that while investigators had interviewed a number of people, they hadn't ruled anyone in or out. Later that afternoon, Boston police searched through the dumpster that was set on fire

near Frank and Susan's home. Some amongst the ash were the burnt remnants of some women's clothing. No human remains were found. Police carried away three bags of evidence, and the dumpster was transported to the Dover Highway Department under police guard. Later reports confirms that the clothing did not match Carina Homer's. But investigators soon made a notable discovery. On Saturday June 22, the day that detectives suspected Carina was murdered, Frank Rapp had

obtained a permit to dump trash at a Dover recycling facility. On Thursday June 27, detectives headed to the facility. They spent five hours sifting through refuse and carted away two dumpster loads in an attempt to find evidence linking Frank to Carina's murder. Susan Nichter said in an interview with the Boston Globe that, like the dumpster fire, the permit was nothing more than, quote, a weird coincidence. She explained that Frank had gone to the facility to recycle newspapers and had taken their son and their nephew with him.

Then she added. Frank has an airtight alibi. Anyone who knows Frank knows he does not have it in him to hurt somebody else. But law enforcement officials maintained that the apparent coincidence was, quote, definitely suspicious. While Frank Rapp and Susan Nichter described Carina as happy and carefree, others had a different impression of the 19-year-old's short time in the US. One of Carina's friends in Sweden contacted police about some correspondence she had received

from Carina. In one letter, Carina said she was homesick and wanted to return in August, which would mean cutting her trip short. Carina also confided in another friend named Ulrika Svensson. A letter to Ulrika read, There is always so much cleaning and I think I am stressed all the time, so this is not exactly what I thought it would be. Just weeks before Carina's murder, Ulrika received another letter. This one was more ominous, quote, Something terrible has happened.

I cannot tell you right now what it is, but I will tell you when I get home. None of Carina's friends or family had any idea what terrible thing she was referring to. On Sunday June 30, a week after Carina's body was found, 50 of her friends and other or pairs gathered in Boston's public gardens across the road from Zanzibar nightclub for an impromptu memorial service. Detectives observed them from afar, videotaping the service in the hopes that a person of interest might show up.

After holding hands and praying for Carina, the group made their way to a chain link fence near the dumpster where Carina was found and decorated it with brightly colored roses. Afterwards, detectives questioned some attendees and were able to further account for Carina's final movements. During the night, Carina was seen dancing and talking with two men in Zanzibar. Witnesses described the men as well dressed. It was unclear whether they were the same men Carina was seen talking to on the street after the club closed, but one of her friends thought they might be.

Despite appeals for them to come forward, these men were not identified. The more witnesses investigators interviewed, the more varying accounts they received regarding Carina's last known whereabouts. It was difficult to know how seriously to take some statements, as almost all witnesses who had last seen Carina alive were inebriated at the time. One person came forward to say he had seen Carina sitting in a grey Mitsubishi with two men. He stuck his head in the car and said to Carina, let's go, you can come with us.

In response, one of the men threatened him to get away from the car or his head would be crushed. Another witness said there had been four men in the car. It wasn't determined who these men were. Others who said they had seen Carina in an alleyway had actually confused her with another blonde woman. A friend of Carina's told authorities she saw her leaving Zanzibar with an older man and that they were supposedly going to an after hours party.

It is new that Carina had been spotted chatting to a man wearing a Superman t-shirt and walking a large dog. CCTV footage revealed the man to be tall with a muscular build, while witnesses described him as quiet and shy. Carina had padded his dog and was overheard telling the man that her friends had left the bar without her. In response, he allegedly offered her a lift home. While investigators believed that Carina never went back to the loft apartment where she

was staying, they were unsure whether or not she'd accepted a ride with the man. The dog walker called the Boston Police Department and identified himself as 48-year-old Herb Witten. Herb, who was 6'2 and 240 pounds, owned a 3 foot tall, 120 pound Great Pyrenees dog named Peer. He didn't live in the neighborhood. Instead, he had driven 30 minutes from his home in Andover just to walk Peer through Boston's downtown streets in the early hours of the morning.

This struck investigators as suspicious. Detectives who frequented the area claimed that Herb was in the habit of doing this as an excuse to speak to women who were leaving nightclubs. When Herb was asked to come down to homicide headquarters for questioning, his lawyer sent a letter asserting that he was not to be interviewed. Given there was no evidence against him, Herb could not be compelled to attend. His also tracked down a 31-year-old panhandler named Juan Polo, who was seen dancing with Carina Homer outside of Zinzabar nightclub.

Like Frank Rapp, Polo also had previous run-ins with the law. In April 1995, more than a year before Carina's murder, a woman named Evelyn Alvarez was found strangled to death by a dumpster behind a bowling alley. She was Juan Polo's ex-girlfriend. Polo had been questioned by police in July 1995 after they made the link between him and Evelyn, but he had a strong alibi for the night of his former girlfriend's murder. The murder of Evelyn Alvarez remained unsolved, but Climath, the district attorney Michael Sullivan didn't think her case was related to Carina Homer's.

Unlike Carina, Evelyn had not been disfigured and there was no evidence she'd been sexually assaulted. Nevertheless, in a rap sheet that dated back to 1985, Juan Polo had a total of 42 records, including a rape charge that was later dismissed. He adamantly denied being involved in Carina's murder, telling the Boston Herald that while they were dancing, he had begged Carina to return to the safety of her friends. With no evidence linking him to the killing, Polo was free to go. One more person raised suspicions when investigators canvassed the area, talking to those who lived

in the apartment buildings near where Carina's body was discovered. As reported in the Boston Globe, a man named John lived two blocks from the scene. He was the lead singer in a local band which often included SNM and bondage routines in their performances. Like Juan Polo, John had some previous run-ins with the law and was also known to collect animal and human bones. But he denied being involved in any way and investigators could find nothing to tie him to the case.

On July 1, 1996, forensic experts successfully lifted a partial fingerprint from the plastic bag Carina's upper body was dumped in. Finally, it seemed investigators had the breakthrough they'd been waiting for. When they tried to enhance the print, however, they were disappointed to discover that it contained less than the necessary number of identifying characteristics to make a successful match. Without the crime scene where Carina's murder took place, investigators' efforts were significantly hampered and they were still missing the lower portion of Carina's body which may have

contained crucial evidence. By the start of July, just a week after Carina's murder, detectives already conceded that they might never find the rest of her remains. One law enforcement officer reported, We haven't given up. But the longer it goes on, the more difficult it becomes. Carina Homer's upper body was returned to Sweden and on July 5, a funeral was held in her hometown at Orca's Church. Her family requested that attendees wear colourful clothes in celebration of Carina's life,

and as the mourners gathered, their bright garments cast a vibrant scene against the white stone building. Carina's family decorated the church with wildflowers they'd picked from an adjacent forest and her coffin was adorned with white roses. The officiating reverend said it was one of the hardest ceremonies he had to lead and described the hundred mourners who attended as haunted by feelings of devastation, anger, frustration and powerlessness. Carina was laid to rest in the nearby cemetery.

Back in Boston, leads in the case quickly ran dry. Yet on August 23, two months after Carina's murder, the Boston Police Commissioner told the public that the case was still very actively being investigated. When detectives failed to find any tangible evidence linking Carina's employer, Frank Rapp, to her murder, he was officially ruled out as a suspect. Local media ignored this development and continued to describe Frank as a person of interest. His wife Susan publicly stated that she found this astounding and insulting. It was hoped that the garbage bags used to dispose of Carina's upper body would reveal

a vital clue. Forensic experts tried to uncover where they'd been manufactured and whether they were for commercial or retail use. Unfortunately, the bags were made from a very common type of plastic and the search went nowhere. Police thought they had another breakthrough when the skeletal remains of two legs belonging to a white female aged between 20 and 40 were found in the rural foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.

But they turned out not to belong to Carina Holmer. In November 1996, WCVB TV reported that a week before Carina's murder, she and another or pair spent a night in the company of two police officers. It was rumoured that one of the officers, who worked paid detail at Zanzibar nightclub and briefly dated Carina, had been interviewed by detectives. However, investigators said they found no evidence tying him to the crime and, just like all the other persons of interest, he was ultimately ruled out. Then, new information sent detectives looking in another direction.

The last known sightings of Carina had placed her in the alley outside Zanzibar nightclub at around 2.30am. Now, some additional witnesses suddenly came forward to say they had seen Carina outside a 24-hour convenience store between 3.30am and 4.00am. The store was close to the dumpster where Carina's torso was subsequently found. Detectives wondered if this sighting indicated that Carina had been planning to head out again, maybe she was on her way to an after-hours party. They just had no idea as to how or whether she got there, or if she was alone.

On January 9, 1997, police were called to the home of Herb Witten, the man who had been walking his dog in a Superman t-shirt on the night of Carina's murder. They were met at Herb's door by a concerned relative who had called the police when she couldn't get a hold of him. Inside, they found Herb Witten deceased on the bathroom floor. An investigation determined that Herb had taken his own life. Those who knew him speculated that he ended his life due to his severe mental health issues combined with the notoriety that had come from being associated with Carina Homer's

murder. Although Herb was never mentioned by name in the media, he was so well known as the burly man who walked his large white dog in the middle of the night that locals knew exactly who the police were referring to. Rumors also circulated that Herb suicided because he had murdered Carina and could no longer live with the guilt. Following Herb's death, his lawyer explained that Herb had never been interviewed by the homicide detectives because his mental state would have made a police interrogation inappropriate.

The lawyer told the Boston Globe, quote, I can't comment on what he said, but I feel confident based on my own investigation that he had no connection whatsoever to the death of Carina Homer. I think his death related to the pressure he felt in being considered a suspect in this slaying. He always felt scrutinized by police and the public, family and friends. He felt like he had a scarlet letter on his chest. It was very tough.

The first anniversary of Carina's murder arrived and detectives were no closer to apprehending her killer, despite interviewing hundreds of witnesses and clocking up more than a thousand hours of investigative time. Now, they were leaning toward the theory that Carina was last seen at 3am on Boston Common, likely walking back to Frank Rapp's South Boston loft. Whilst those in Sweden celebrated 1997's Midsummer, Carina's family marked one year since her death by visiting her grave and decorating it with evergreen and wild flowers. Carina's father, Ulla, gave an interview with the journalist from the Associated Press

and remarked on the strange use of the word anniversary, saying, You call it an anniversary, that's a very odd word for me. Anniversary for me is some kind of celebration. He explained that the period he most struggled with in dealing with the loss of his daughter was when the initial leads ran dry and the case developments stopped. Ulla still spoke occasionally to police, but they had little to report. Quote, They only give out what they think they need to give out. But I think I know that they have come up with zero.

That's nothing at all. That should worry America a bit. Meanwhile, a photograph of Carina Holmas sat in the office shared by Detective Sergeant Thomas O'Leary and his three homicide squad partners. Detective Juan Torres, whose first homicide case was that of Carina's, said to the Boston Globe. It serves as a reminder of a task unfinished. In February 1999, Susan Nicta presented an exhibition of her paintings at a Boston Gallery.

As reported in the Boston Globe, some of the pieces explored her experience during Carina Holmas murder, with two paintings depicting a woman wrestling with a well-meaning angel of death. Over the years, a few more persons of interest came up in police investigations, but all were quickly dismissed as suspects. As of 2021, the murder of Carina Holma remains unsolved. The crime scene where she was killed has not been identified, and the lower half of her body was never recovered.

Several have investigators figured out what might have caused her to write home and tell a friend, quote, something terrible has happened. Soon after Carina's death, a friend of hers in Sweden, Jenny, was interviewed by the Aftonbladet newspaper. In her hands, Jenny clasped her dicked book, a book that teenage girls in Sweden circulate amongst friends to share messages and thoughts. As reported by the Associated Press, Jenny turned to a page written by Carina. It had been decorated with drawings of wildflowers, and Carina had written the following message.

I sit and look out to see. The soft sand is red-colored, and my cheek is damp because my heart is bleeding, and my eyes are crying. When I open my eyes, I see a bird sitting with me on the ground. He looks at me and begins to sing a song. My dear child, life has returned to you, and you will again feel happy. Your soul is clean, and the life spirit is glowing in your eyes. The finest gift you ever get is life.

You should not throw it away or trample on it, but you should hold it high in your hands.