Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder - Ep. 72 | The Lake Bodom Massacre Cold Case

Episode Date: September 24, 2025

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On a quiet Finnish lake in the early hours of a June morning in 1960, a nightmare unfolded inside a small canvas tent. Four teenagers had set out for what should have been an innocent camping trip. But by sunrise, it would become one of Finnish history's most horrific and puzzling murder investigations ever. And for over six decades, the lake bottom murders have baffled police, terrified locals, and fueled countless theories. This is the lake bottom murders. Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder all things that I love to consume, and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, beautiful, intellectually minded freak. I went deep today, baby. But today we are talking about an extremely baffling case, one that I was not familiar

with at all, but now I'm all too familiar with it, and I'm going to make you familiar with it as well, because these cold cases, man, they eat at me. So without further ado, let's unbuckle our seatbelts go mock fight down the highways, lay them on the brakes and busts through this windshield into this puzzling finish case together. So before the tragic night at Lake Bodom, the victims were ordinary teenagers enjoying the start of summer. Myla Irmeli Bjork Lund, or Mila, often called Miley, or sometimes Irmeli, was just 15 years old in the summer of 1960. In fact, she was only days away from her 16th birthday at the time of the camping trip. and she was a resident of the Helsinki suburb in Vanda, and Mila was by all accounts a typical Finnish teenage girl.

She enjoyed school break, spending time with friends, and looking forward to adventures in the outdoors. And she was dating 18-year-old Niels Gustafasen, and the two planned to share this double-date camping trip with another couple. And the other couple was Anya Tulli-Maki, who was also 15 years old, and was Mila's close friend. And the two girls were classmates and neighbors in Vanda. And they decided to go camping together as a fun excursion to kick off the summer.

And she was dating the fourth member of the group, Sepo Boysman. And her father was initially against the trip, but her mother was able to convince him to let her go. So in June 1960, Finnish summer days were long and bright, so a very enticing time for young teenagers like Anya to enjoy nature. And with her good friend Myla and with their boyfriends along, Anya anticipated a night of laughter and memories, memories by the lakeside. So Sepo-Untaro Boysman, who was 18 years old, was one of the two older boys in the group. And he was also from Vanta. And Seppo was best friends with Nealz Gustafson.

So they were all really good friends. And the two men specifically likely bonded over school classes, hobbies like motorcycles, and plans for the future. So at 18, Sepo would have been either just finished with secondary school or about to enter military service, as was customary for Finnish youths around that age. And physically, Sepo was a very abled body teen, and he actually worked as an apprentice electrician. And as the older boyfriend, Sepo might have felt responsible for the safety of the group during this trip.

And he rode his motorcycle with Anya on the back to the campsite, carrying gear and in high spirits for the night under the stars. And Nils Gustafasin, who was also 18 years old, but slightly younger, is the most complex figure in this story. At the time of the trip, Nils was an athletic blonde teenager from Vanta, known to be popular, outgoing, and fun-loving. And he was SEPO's best friend, as we know, and Wila's boyfriend. Nils had just reached adulthood at 18, and like SEPO, he enjoyed riding motorcycles. So obviously, the two men each had a motorcycle, which they used to ferry their girlfriends to Lake Bodom.

And Nils, by all appearances, was also just a normal teen, excited for a camping adventure with his sweetheart and close friends. So these four teenagers formed two couples and a tight-knit friend group. And everyone in the group got along and looked forward to spending time together. In essence, this was a sweetheart's getaway for two young couples. The dynamic was likely typical of teenagers, joking around, a bit of flirting between the couples and mutual trust. And there was no indication before the trip of any serious tensions or conflicts among them. And it's important to note these positive relationships because later on, some theories would suggest some internal strife. or jealousy, but we'll get into that later.

So at least at the outset, all four seemed happy to be together. And little did they know that this camaraderie and youthful adventure would soon turn into a scene of unimaginable horror. So Saturday, June 4th, 1960 was the day the group set out for their camping excursion. And the teenagers, as we know, chose Lake Bodom, or in Finnish, Bodom and Yarvey, which was a scenic lake about 20 kilometers west of Helsinki as their destination. So Lake Bodum, located near the city of Espo, was known to be a popular camping spot among locals. It was just a place where campers could pitch a tent, swim, or fish, and just enjoy nature.

And it's described as a large, tranquil lake surrounded by villages and forests of birch and pine. In other words, an ideal setting for an overnight outing in the wilderness without being too far from home. And the decision may have been spontaneous or planned in advance. And sources aren't clear on exactly who suggested it, but all four eagerly. agreed and that's what we know for sure and all of them being from the city of venta a relatively short distance away made like bodum an attractive and convenient spot for a quick getaway and the boys nils and sepo wanted to make use of their recently acquired motorcycles and were excited to take their girlfriends on a ride and camp adventure so with parental permission sorted as needed for 15-year-old girls and their

destination picked the stage was set so the group packed light as typical for overnight camping and and they had a single tent large enough to accommodate all four of them, which emphasized the coziness of their plan, roughing it, if you will, together under one canvas. So they were all staying in one tent. And they likely brought sleeping bags, some food, and treats, and other essentials. And because they were traveling by motorcycle, everything had to be very compact.

So we don't know if they carried any weapons or protection, like a hunting knife for camping. Nothing of the sort is mentioned. So it appears they did not. not anticipate any danger from people or animals. And it's worth noting the natural phenomenon of the white night in Finland, which they were set to experience. Because in early June at that latitude, the sun barely dips below the horizon, meaning nightfall is more of a prolonged twilight. And one writer describes these white nights as having a strange grayish light, like someone dialed

down the brightness for a few hours. And an almost eerie silence. So this ethereal act, atmosphere can be magical for campers. And for our four teenagers, the never quite dark night was probably part of the thrill. And upon arrival, they would have seen a very picturesque lake and beautiful natural surroundings. And the area was also known to have a kiosk, which is a small convenience stand,

run by a local man and often hosted campers and hikers. And it's not clear if the teens stopped at the kiosk or interacted with locals upon arriving, but they proceeded to pick a spot for their tent. And they chose a spot along the shore for pitching the tent, a flat clearing not far from the water. And by all accounts, their arrival and setup went very smoothly. And Nils and Sepo likely helped each other assemble the tent,

while Myla and Anya might have laid out sleeping bags and gathered firewood. So with their camp established, the journey concluded and the leisure began. So the daylight hours of June 4th passed uneventfully, and pleasantly for the group, by all accounts. And the afternoon was likely spent in typical camping pastimes. possibly swimming in the lake's cool waters, lounging on the shore, and exploring the woods. And according to later reports, nothing unusual happened during that day. The friends enjoyed each other's company and the freedom of being out in nature.

And the evening of June 4th was still bright due to that white night effect. But eventually, a gray dusk settled. And at some point, the teens retired to their tent or the night. And four people in one tent would have been a very snug fit, and they likely arranged themselves with the couples next to each other. And based on diary evidence and witness accounts, the group did not venture away from their own campsite to socialize that night, at least not according to initial statements. So as far as the teens were concerned that night, they were alone and secure in their campsite. Now, allegedly, there was mention of the boys being drunk in Myla's diary, but they would fall asleep and woke up around 2 a.m.

After which the boys got up for a bit and the girls fell immediately back to sleep. And eventually, they were all asleep inside their tent. and the night was calm with the lake waters gently lapping in the pale night sky above. And it should have been a peaceful slumber in a beautiful place. However, as the early morning hours rolled around, an unknown terror crept toward the unsuspecting campers. You train, you track, you eat right. But if you're over 40, you've felt it. The results don't match the effort anymore.

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And the evidence indicates that the killer struck from outside the tent, slashing and bludgeoning through the tent's fabric without ever entering it. In other words, the perpetrator used the tent itself as a barrier, blindly stabbing and swinging at the victims through the canvas walls. And the weapon was most likely a knife, possibly accompanied by a heavy blunt instrument. But the assaults were extremely violent and sweat. and the teenagers were caught completely off guard because they were sleeping.

And you can only imagine the confusion and terror inside that tent, with the sounds of the canvas ripping and screams of pain and the sudden realization that they were under attack. So the tent itself quickly collapsed onto the occupants during the onslaught, and much later witnesses would recall seeing the tent in a flattened state, as if it had imploded on itself. And investigators believe the assailant first cut the tent's guidelines, or supports, perhaps to trap the victims inside the tent, and then stab downward through the

material. But all four teenagers were injured in this gruesome attack, and three would not survive. But despite the viciousness of the attack, none of the victims managed to escape or fully fend off the assailant, and there are no reports of any of the teens getting out of the tent to run or fight, indicating how sudden and overwhelming the ambush was. And during the frenzied stabbing and bludgeoning, One victim, Niels Gustafsson, may have caught a fleeting glimpse of the attacker. And Gustafsson would be the lone survivor in this attack. And he would later claim that in a brief moment

of half consciousness, he saw a dark figure dressed in black with bright red eyes looming over them. And this eerie description, red eyes as if glowing, had become part of the legend of Lake Bodom. And it's unclear if this was a hallucination, a distorted memory, perhaps the attacker had some reflective material, or it was a product of trauma,

or just a genuine detail. But regardless, it was the only hint of the attacker's appearance given by any of the victims. And the assault likely lasted only minutes, but was absolutely devastating. And by the time the assailant was done, three of the four friends lay dead or dying,

and the lone survivor was unconscious and gravely wounded. And the killer then left as mysteriously, as he had arrived. And at around 6 a.m., not long after the attack, a pair of young birdwatchers in the area reportedly noticed something odd in the distance, and they saw a collapsed tent

and a blonde-haired man walking away from the campsite, and the sighting would later become a crucial, if ambiguous, clue. So the birdwatchers did not approach the site, thinking perhaps that nothing was seriously wrong. And meanwhile, the murderer vanished into the early morning mist, and the crime was over in mere, moments, but its repercussions were only just beginning.

So the attack's aftermath for each of the four campers can be pieced together from the physical evidence and forensic reports. And tragically, Myla, Anya and Sepo all sustained fatal wounds, while Nils survived with serious injuries. So Myla suffered the worst fate of all victims. And she was found outside the tent,

having been pulled or dragged part way out during the attack. And disturbingly, Mila was undressed from the waist down when discovered. And whether the assailant removed her lower clothing or it was a result of being dragged is uncertain, but the state of her attire suggested a possible essay motive or grotesque staging. And Mila's injuries were also the most severe.

And she had been stabbed dozens of times, far more than the others. And forensic analysis indicated that many of her stab wounds were inflicted after she was already deceased. So it's kind of in line. with just a very angry, sounding like personal attack, like a vengeance he had just for Mila specifically. And also, Mila's head had been hit extremely hard,

causing shattering injuries. So this was just extreme overkill for Mila. And it seems to be she was like the center of this person's rage. But since Mila was Neil's girlfriend, the only survivor's girlfriend, some later theories speculated about personal jealousy or hatred directed at her. But we'll talk about that later. But in 1960, investigators could only note that she clearly bore the brunt of the killer's fury. And Mila's body was also found lying on top of the collapsed tent canvas near Nils. But there was no sign of her actually being essayed in terms of confirmed

evidence, but her being partially unclothed and the brutality left the possibility in people's mind. So Mila would die at the scene from a combination of stab wounds and blunt force trauma. Now, Anya's body was found inside of the tent, and she was likely attacked and killed before she had any chance to escape. And Anya's injuries, while fatal, were notably less extensive than Mila's. And she had been stabbed and hit, but not to the excessive degree of her friend Mila. And it's possible Ania died quickly from her wounds as well. But there was no indebted. that Anya was moved or deliberately posed either. She simply remained where she was attacked inside the tent.

And Anya's cause of death was the multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma to her head as well, consistent with the same weapons that killed the others. And the horror of all this suddenness meant Anya likely never even fully awoke before she was killed. And Sepa would also be found dead inside of the tent as well. So as the other man and the oldest in the group, And one might expect he'd have resisted the attack to some degree,

but the situation gave him little chance, given the fact that he was asleep most likely. And Sepo's injuries included stab wounds and blunt force trauma as well, similar to Anya's. And there is speculation that Sepo might have awoken and confronted the attacker for at least a moment. However, at the crime scene, Sepo's body was found inside the tent with fatal wounds, indicating he did not get that far if there was any sort of scuffle. And notably, neither Sepo nor Anya were attacked post-mortem like Mila was. So their killings, while violent, seemed straightforward by comparison.

So at just 15 years old, 15 years old, and 18 years old, these poor teenagers lost their lives in what should have just been a safe camping trip. And then there was Niels, who was the sole survivor of this massacre? But he came exceedingly close to being the fourth fatality, because he was found alive, but unconscious, lying on the ground near the tents outside, on the same side as Mila. Anil's had severe injuries. His jaw was broken. He had fractured cheekbones and a deep knife wound to his forehead, and he also sustained a serious concussion. And he was also covered in blood. And initially, responders thought he might die of his injuries, because he was barely clinging

to life when he was discovered. Anil's was found barefoot, and notably his shoes were were missing from the scene. So it appeared he had been inside the tent during the attack and somehow ended up outside of the tent, possibly staggering out or being knocked out of the collapsed tent by the assailant, and he would collapse next to Mila. And there are differing accounts of his exact position when he was found. Some say he was on top of part of the tent canvas, others that he was just beside it, but in any case, he was within a couple of meters of the other victims.

But despite his grievous wounds, Neal's was still alive when help finally arrived several hours later, and he had no memory of the actual attack, likely a merciful side effect of the head trauma. And as mentioned, only later recalled and a fleeting image of the red-eyed figure in black attacking them. So Neal's survival would have major consequences. It meant there was a witness, albeit with a shattered memory,

and a victim who could later be... later be scrutinized. But on that morning in 1960, Nealz was viewed purely as a victim who narrowly escaped the fate of his friends. And he was rushed to the hospital as soon as rescuers came, and his injuries were documented as consistent

with being attacked by the same perpetrator who killed the others. So the scene at Lake Bodom on the morning of June 5th, 1960, was one of both confusion and horror because the teen's tent had been collapsed onto itself visibly torn and soaked with blood. And blood splatter and pools around the site made it clear a vicious attack had occurred. And the tent fabric had multiple slashes and punctures from the knife thrusts.

And inside the tent was a disarray of sleeping bags and belongings that were drenched in blood as well. And the entire area was eerily quiet in the early light of dawn, except for the distressing site at the campsite itself. An evidence would indicate that the killer had attacked from outside, like we were talking about before, cutting the tent open and cutting downward. But remarkably, no murder weapon was found at the scene. So neither a knife nor any blunt instrument was recovered. And this meant the assailant took the weapons with them or disposed of them somewhere. And investigators later scored the lake and surrounding woods,

but the murder weapons have never been located. And another baffling aspect was that several of the victim's personal items were missing or oddly displaced. Like the keys to the teen's motorcycles were gone, yet the motorcycles were left parked near the campsite untouched, which is odd. And wallets and some articles of clothing were also reported missing. And most peculiarly, Neal's Gustafsson's shoes were nowhere to be found at the campsite. So this was strange because one would expect shoes to be left by the tent entrance or inside. And an intensive search was launched for these missing items.

And in the days to follow, some of the missing clothing in Neil's shoes were discovered about 500 meters, which is about a half a kilometer away from the tent hidden. It was as if the perpetrator had gathered certain items and stashed or tossed them while fleeing, and the shoes in particular would later become crucial evidence. But in 1960, it was simply perplexing to find them so far from Neals, who again was found barefoot. So why would a random killer take the time to remove and hide victims' shoes?

Doesn't really add up or make sense. I mean, none of this makes sense, but that's particularly odd. So the crime scene presented investigators with a chaotic mix of clues. Intense violence, missing belongings, no obvious motive, and also notable, aside from the Birdwatchers' account of a blonde man walking away at dawn, there were no eyewitnesses to the crime itself. And the other campers in the area did not hear screams, or if they did, they did not realize what it was. And it's possible that any cries were muffled by the tent,

and the quick incapacitating nature of the attack. And the scene was remote enough that help did not arrive until hours later, meaning the crime scene sat exposed to the morning. And sadly, the way the scene was handled next would introduce its own set of problems. Let's be honest. Buying cannabis shouldn't be complicated, sketchy, or low quality. That's why I want to tell you about mood.com. That's M-O-O-D.com.

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And because you're a listener, you get 20% on. your first order. Just head to mood.com. That's M-O-O-O-D.com to get started. So despite the attack occurring around dawn, around 4 to 6 a.m., it would be several hours before the victims were actually found and help arrived. And the first people to notice something was wrong were the aforementioned small group of boys who were out birdwatching in the area around 6 a.m. And they continued on their way, not immediately realizing that they may have witnessed a murderer fleeing. And as a result, the crime scene remained unattended for several more hours. And it wasn't until 11 a.m.

that the bodies were officially discovered. And a local man named Risto Ciren, identified in some reports as a jogger or carpenter out for a morning walk, came upon the campsite and saw the carnage. And he saw the tent flattened and bloodied and the unmistakable sight of bodies either on top or inside the tent.

And I can't imagine how he felt seeing this. But luckily, Risto immediately, alerted authorities and he contacted the police who arrived at the scene by noon on June 5th. And some sources alternatively name a carpenter called Esco Ova Johansen as the discoverer. So it's possible that Johansen and Siren are the same person or one of these people accompanied the other or one did find it first or by the other. So I'm not positive on that, but those are the two names we have. But regardless, the key point is that a local adult found the victims late in the morning.

and called police. So when police and medics arrived to this horror show in front of them, to their surprise and relief, they found Niels Gustavison still alive, despite his severe injuries. So medics quickly extracted Niels and rushed him to the hospital in Helsinki for emergency treatment. And the other three teenagers were confirmed dead at the scene. And the police began to secure the area, but crucially, their approach to the crime scene would be later seen as disastrously lax. Initially, however, their focus was on the possibility of catching the perpetrator nearby and gathering obvious evidence. So they had the Birdwatchers report, which gave them a rough timeline, and the murders likely happened shortly before that sighting, and the time of discovery

at 11 a.m. meant the killer had around a five-hour head start to escape, which is a lot of time. So law enforcement conducted a search of the vicinity, hoping the murderer or any weapon might still be around but found nothing immediate. Meanwhile, news that three teens were slain at Lake Bodom spread very quickly, drawing curiosity and alarm. And unfortunately, as more people flocked to the scene and investigators swarmed in, the integrity of the physical evidence on site would suffer greatly. But the first priority was interviewing the only person who might tell them what happened. And that was the survivor, Niels Gustafasen. So Niels, obviously, was in no condition to give a full statement immediately, and he was transported to the hospital and treated for his broken jaw

and other injuries. But when he was able to talk, Nealz described the events as he remembered them, which unfortunately wasn't much. And he claimed to have little to no memory of the actual attack, likely due to his concussion and trauma. But Nealz asserted that the night had been uneventful, until he woke up in pain during the assault, and he recalled seeing a shadowy figure dressed in black attacking the tent and said that this person had bright red eyes, an image that stuck with him from that split second glance. But beyond that, Niels could not recount a clear sequence of events, and he did not remember any argument or disturbance before the attack, reinforcing that it just came without any sort of warning. And he couldn't say how he ended up outside the tent either,

and presumably he lost consciousness at some point in the struggle and woke up much later in the hospital. And over the days and weeks after the incident, incident, Niels was interviewed multiple times, but his story remained that he remembered almost nothing. And this frustrated investigators who hoped for an indication or at least a clue. The birdwatcher's comment of seeing a man with blonde hair wasn't much to go on. And it was a slim lead in Finland, especially where blonde hair is very common. So it didn't narrow things down much at all. And importantly, at this early stage, police considered Niels Gustafsson a victim, not a

suspect. Because his injuries were so severe and extensive that it seemed implausible he was anything but an attacked party. In fact, decades after Gustafin's consistent claim was that he suffered a memory blackout and survived by luck, and he was generally believed. But Neil's last memory before the attack, aside from the attacker's image, was of the friends happily arriving and settling in the campsite itself. And everything after that turned into a nightmare he largely could not recall. So this incomplete account with no motive, no clear perpetrator identity, meant that from the very beginning, the Lake Bodom case hinged more on physical evidence and investigative work than eyewitness testimony.

And with Nils, unable to name or describe the assailant in detail, the police had to cast a wide net in their investigation. And unfortunately, as they started that process, some critical mistakes would be made. And one of those major mistakes was that the police didn't cordon off the campsite adequately. After they arrived around noon, multiple officers and even volunteers traipsed through the site

without full regard for preserving evidence. In fact, crowds of people, including other police, locals, journalists, and curiosity seekers were allowed to wander around the scene in the immediate aftermath, which doesn't make sense to me, but okay, it's a different time, I guess. Not really, 60s there, there's a lot of crime going on anyway.

But the result was that footprints, potential trace evidence, and the original positions of items, got trampled or moved, and later analysis slammed this as a serious contamination of the crime scene. And another issue was record keeping, because reports suggest that investigators failed to systemically document the scene before disturbing it. And photographs were far and few between, with only a handful of crime scene photos that actually exist. And some were taken after things had been moved, so like useless, essentially. A precise measurements of distances and items

locations were not logged, which would severely handicap the forensics. The recognizing that items were missing, like the keys, wallets, clothing, and shoes, the police organized a search of all the surrounding area. And in doing so, they made yet another blunder by bringing in soldiers to comb the woods around the lake. And while well-intentioned, this resulted in dozens of additional people stomping through potential evidence zones, but the soldiers and searchers, as we know, did manage to find some of the missing items as mentioned, like Gustafsson's shoes and some clothing about 500 meters away. But several items, including the motorcycle keys and presumably the murder weapons were never found.

And these just early lapses gave the killer a tremendous advantage. Because by the time the scene was cleared of contamination, any subtle clues like fingerprints, hair fibers, or shoe prints from the perpetrator were likely destroyed or hopelessly intermixed with others. And investigators were largely left with the victims, bodies and belongings as evidence, plus the accounts of the people like the Birdwatchers. And another challenge was motive. As a crime did not immediately suggest one. Robbery didn't fit well since valuable motorcycles were left and only some personal items taken, possibly as trophies potentially, because we know killers do that. An SA was considered because of Mila's state, but aside from her being partially unclothed, evidence was inconclusive.

And an essay motive also didn't explain the males being killed as well. And a crime of passion or personal conflict seemed unlikely given all victims were presumably friends and asleep at the time. So police were dealing with a bizarre, seemingly senseless massacre. And in the absence of obvious leads, they started exploring the idea of an outside attacker just roaming the area. And they questioned local residents and known troublemakers. And early on, one name emerged from local. whispers. And that was a man who ran a nearby kiosk who had a reputation for hostility towards campers. And we'll discuss this soon. However, initially, officers had no hard evidence against

any particular individual. And no clear suspect emerged in the initial phase. The only description was the blonde man seeing walking away and the red-eyed man in black. So police created a rough composite image based on the sighting and Niels Vague recollection. And basically, it was just a generic idea of a blonde, possibly tall man. So you might as well have just drawn a stick, man. And checkpoints were not immediately set up. Because by the time they considered it, hours had passed and any culprit was long gone.

And as days turned into weeks, the investigation just continued to struggle. And the botched crime scene handling meant that a wealth of forensic evidence was lost. And one newspaper even later harshly criticized the police, noting that careless onlookers and even curious campers, all but destroyed the murder scene after police had left. And in these early weeks, investigators did their best with traditional detective work,

interviewing anyone who might have been near Lake Bodom, checking alibis of local ex-convicts or mentally unstable individuals, and sending out alerts in case a bloodied suspect turned up at a hospital. And one actually did. But with each passing day, no arrest was made, and the case began to cool down. And the groundwork, or lack thereof, laid in this initial investigation would deeply affect the decades to come. And leads that might have been solved with solid evidence turned into mere speculation. But still, the police did pursue several theories and suspects in the months and years after the murders, and some plausible, some more far-fetched.

It will now turn to those suspects and theories that emerged as detectives and the public tried to answer the burning question, who killed the teens at Lake Bodum. So with an unknown assailant at large and a community in fear, numerous suspects and theories surfaced in the aftermath of the Lake Bodom murders. And investigators looked at local characters with bad reputations, potential drifters or outsiders, and even the surviving victim himself. And over the years, speculation ran rampant. So early on, attention focused on a local resident named Carl Vandemar Yulstrom, infamously nicknamed kiosk man, because he ran a small kiosk,

in the campground near Lake Bodom. And Yulstrom was well known in the community, and not for good reasons. Because he had a history of hostility toward campers and young people in the area. And locals recounted that he would often shout at or harass people who came near his property. In fact, he was said to have cut down tents

and thrown rocks at visitors he didn't like. Not a nice guy. So this pattern of aggressive, anti-social behavior made him an immediate person of interest when a campsite full of teens was savagely attacked. And many in town quietly suspected Yulstrom from the start. And some even claimed to have seen him behaving oddly on the morning of the murders. And according to later accounts, several witnesses said they saw Yulstrom returning from the direction of the campsite that morning, looking wet as if he'd been in the lake.

But these people were too afraid at the time to inform police of this. And Yulstrom's own wife initially provided him an alibi, saying he had been home in bed with her during the early hours of June 5th, thus supposedly unable to be the killer. And police interviewed Eustrom and searched his property, but found no hard evidence looking him to this crime. So this kiosk man denied any sort of involvement, and aside from community rumors and his general creepy demeanor, investigators had nothing concrete. And they remained skeptical of the secondhand reports of his drunken confessions or supposed, knowledge of the crime because it was said that Yulstrom when heavily intoxicated allegedly blurted out confessions to the murders on multiple occasions which is

pretty suspicious to me but okay but when sober he would either deny it or was just dismissed as a mentally disturbed individual and police at the time chalked up his wild statements to him just being quote unquote disturbed and did not pursue any charges However, Eulstrom continued to draw suspicion, and he did nothing to help his own case in 1969 when he died by drowning in Lake Bodom, apparently by deleting himself from life. And according to local lore, Yulstrom in a final note or conversation hinted at guilt for the murders, though the exact details are murky. And after his death, a haunting revelation would come.

And on her deathbed years later, Yulstrom's wife, recanted the alibi she had given him, and she confessed that she had lied to the police out of fear, implying that Yulstrom had not been home at the time of the murders, and that he had threatened to kill her if she revealed the truth. So this posthumous admission by the wife gave enormous weight to the theory that the kiosk keeper was the Bodum murderer. And villagers recalled that just days after the murders, Yulstrom had filled in a well in his yard with concrete. So it was, It was speculated that he might have hidden the murder weapons or bloody clothing in the well. And police later did excavate or examine the property but found nothing.

Nonetheless, Ullstrom remains one of the most popular suspect candidates in the public eye. He had motive, if seething hatred for campers or teenagers, is a motive, and possible opportunity because he lived nearby. And just a general proclivity for violence. The locals have long believed that justice was never served if indeed kioskman was the killer and managed to escape punishment by ending his own life. And in books and discussions, Yelstrom's name often comes up as the likely culprit, a grumpy misanthrope who took his anger out on four innocent kids. But officially, however, Yelstrom was never charged and with his death, the lead effectively died with him. and the case file on him remains circumstantial.

And police at later years stated they could not conclusively place him at the scene, and thus he is an unproven but strongly suspected figure in the Bodom case. So beyond the local kioskman, investigators and amateur sleuths have scrutinized several other potential suspects, and two, stand out for the level of attention that they've received. One is Hans Osman, and two is Penty Soininen, And each represents a very different profile. One, a mysterious outsider with alleged spy connections, and the other a troubled youth who confessed under dubious circumstances. But let's talk about Hans first.

This name recurs in multiple Finnish unsolved cases, practically achieving a boogeyman status. Because Hans was a German-born, naturalized Finn who lived not far from Lake Bodom. And rumors swirled that he had been a soldier, even an SS guard at Auschwitz, and later possibly a KGB spy in Finland during the Cold War. Not people you want to be associated with necessarily. And whether or not the espionage tales are true, what put Osman in the Bodom investigator's sights was his suspicious hospital visit on June 6th, 1960. Remember when I mentioned that there was a man that walked in bloody at a hospital that night? This is the man. Because the very day after the murders, according to hospital staff in Helsinki,

Osman showed up wearing clothes covered in red stains and with black dirt under his fingernails. And he behaved nervously and even pretended to faint or be unconscious at one point. And doctors who examined him believed the red stains on his clothing were blood. And they noted his agitated state as well. And considering the timing, this was a giant red flag. So the hospital alerted the police about, this strange patient. However, when briefly questioned, Osman had an alibi. And the police stated that he was able to account for his whereabouts during the Bodom murders. And some sources say authorities

claimed Osman was in Germany at the time. And others say he was in Helsinki, but with someone. And in any case, the police seemingly accepted the alibi and did not confiscate his clothing for testing, which is an oversight that later drew a lot of criticism, which is, deserved in my opinion. But Osman notably also matched the limited description of the suspected killer. Cause he had long blonde hair at the time and was fairly tall.

And he looked eerily similar to the police sketch of the suspect. And intriguingly, after a newspaper published the Birdwatcher's account of a blonde man seen leaving the tent, Osmond cut his long hair short. Ooh, that's suspicious as well. And to some, this signaled a guilty conscious

altering his appearance, and Osmond's name would surface in popular books years later, accusing him of not only the Bodom murders, but other unsolved killings in Finland. And a former doctor named Yorma Paolo, who had seen Osman at the hospital, became convinced of his guilt and authored several books outlining a theory of Osman as a serial killer protected due to secret connections. So it's, I mean, it's an interesting one, and it like goes deep into, you know, like, authority figures, government, and cover-ups and all this kind of stuff, which at this day and age, I just, I wouldn't even put it past them at this point, but I don't know. One theory even posited that Osman's possible intelligence ties caused authorities to hush up

or ignore evidence against him, essentially a cover-up scenario. And it is a very dramatic speculation, but it obviously caught the public's imagination. But Osman would die in the late 1990s, but not before reportedly, confessing on his deathbed to at least one murder, though it's unclear if that referred to Bodom or another case. So officially, the police in 2005 reiterated that Osmond had a verified alibi and was not considered a suspect by the original investigation. But to this day, many Finnish true crime enthusiasts think Hans Osmond could have been the killer who slipped away. And then there's the lesser known suspect, which is pentee, Soanienan. Sorry if I'm saying that wrong.

But he was a troubled Finnish man who during the mid-1960s was serving a prison sentence for other crimes. And he allegedly boasted to a fellow inmate that he was responsible for the Lake Bodom murders. But what do we know about criminals? They just love confessing shit. Just about anything, just because they want like props in jail. But nevertheless, this jailhouse confession was taken seriously enough that he came under

police scrutiny. However, a glaring fact undermines this claim, and that is that he was only about 14 years old at the time of the murders. So at 14, could he realistically have overpowered four older teenagers, two of whom were 18-year-old boys. And many, including the police, found that highly doubtful. And even if armed, a lone 14-year-old would likely struggle to subdue an entire group, especially with Sepo and Nils present. And some have speculated about him being a part of a larger group of assailants, but no evidence of multiple attackers was ever found. So inconsistencies in his story and lack of corroboration led authorities to view his confession with a lot of skepticism. I just think he just wants street cred in jail.

And he would die by deleting himself from life in 1969. The same year, Eulstrom did, before anything could be conclusively verified. So we'll never know. So with his death, this line of inquiry hit a dead end. And so Anenin is generally considered an unlikely suspect, but his name occasionally arises when cataloging all who have claimed responsibility. So aside from named suspects, a few broader theories have circulated, and one is a possibility of a random drifter or forerer passing through who committed the murders and then disappeared.

But Finland in 1960 had relatively low crime, and a crime this violent was just unprecedented, prompting ideas of an outsider perpetrator. And some thought perhaps a violent escapee prison or military deserter, because there was an army base in the region, might have done it. And another theory poses that it was some kind of twisted revenge or vendetta. For instance, had one of the teens angered someone who then followed them to the campsite, but there's no evidence of any vendetta that ever emerged. And of course, there were those who whispered about supernatural or occult explanations, especially given the red eyes detail Niels mentioned. But those are firmly in the realm of legend.

And by the 2000s, virtually every human suspect theory had been explored to some degree, with Yulstrom and Osman remaining the public's top picks for the likely culprits. Until a bombshell twist placed suspicion on someone who had long been presumed innocent. And that's the survivor, Niels Gustafsson. So for 40 years, Niels Gustafsson was regarded as the unfortunate sole survivor of the Bodom attack, a victim left with physical and emotional scars. When Finnish police stunned the country by announcing that they had solved the case, and they were charging Gustafsson with the murders. This development was nothing short of shocking. So how the heck did investigators come to suspect Niels after so many years?

And the answer lies in a combination of new forensic analysis and revived witness testimony, which together formed a circumstantial case against him. So the cold case was reopened in the early 2000s by the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation. And with advances in DNA technology, forensic scientist re-examined the old evidence, including bloodstains on clothing and the tent. And one key finding was that Gustafsson's shoes, which recall had been found hidden 500 meters from the scene, had blood from the three slain victims on them, but none of Neal's own blood. Hmm, interesting. And this was a crucial clue for the prosecution. And their interpretation was that

if an unknown attacker had bloodied Neal's along with the others, Neal's own blood should be on his shoes. So the absence suggested that Neal's was not wearing the shoes. at the time he bled, i.e. when he sustained the injuries. And instead, the only blood on the shoes was from the other three, implying the shoes were worn during the killing of the others. Because everybody else's blood was on his shoes, but his own blood wasn't on his shoes. As if he killed them and hid his shoes because he had killed them and there was blood on them and it made him look guilty. So in the prosecutor's scenario, after killing his friends, Neals removed his shoes, now stained with victims and his friends' blood, and hid them,

then later injured himself, accounting for his blood not being on his shoes. This forensic reinterpretation was the backbone of the case against him. Investigators also revisited witness statements. Notably, there was a woman camper who came forward, and she claimed Neals and Sepo had drunkenly visited her tent on the evening before the murders, and that Neal's was acting aggressive. And this new testimony puts Neal's character in question, suggesting he might have been intoxicated and agitated that very night.

So the prosecutors would weave a theory. Nealz Gustavison, in a jealous rage, murdered his friends. And according to their narrative, the four teens may have been drinking and Nealz became drunk and belligerent. And conflict would ensue, possibly a fight between Neal's and Sepo, perhaps over something like Neal's making it, advances towards Sepo's girlfriend or an argument about the girls in general, and in this supposed altercation,

Sepo may have punched Neal's breaking Neal's jaw, which matches Neal's injury, and enraged by the fight and perhaps humiliated, the idea of a bruised male ego was floated during this trial. Nealz was said to have snapped, and the prosecution suggested that Nealz then turned violent, and he may have attacked Myla first in a frenzy of jealousy or anger, And this would explain why Mila's injuries were so extreme as Neal's girlfriend. Maybe he targeted her in a jealous fury and why her injuries were so much more severe. And then after she was deceased, then he went to eliminate the witnesses who were Anya and Sepo. And in this scenario, Sepo's earlier fight injury to Neal's accounts for Neal's broken facial bones.

And after killing the others, Neils then staged the scene to look like an outside attack. And the prosecutors alleged he hid some of their belongings to suggest robbery, hence taking wallets and keys. And he also removed his shoes, which were now covered in his own friend's blood, and hid them far away, likely in the early dawn, explaining the birdwatcher seeing a blonde man walking away. Then in a final gruesome step, Nils entered himself. And they proposed that he used either a rock or the tent pole to hit himself in the face, causing

additional superficial stab wounds and worsening his concussion. And this was all to make it appear that he had been attacked as well. And finally, he collapsed on top of the tent and pretended to be unconscious as cover. So this was a dramatic sounding theory. To me, it sounds like the most likely, to be honest, essentially accusing the victim of being the perpetrator after decades. It was a long shot. And when Niels Gustafsson, by then, a 62-year-old retired bus driver was arrested in March of 2004, it made headlines across Finland. And many found it hard to believe that the quiet man who had lived blamelessly for years was secretly a murderer. Yet the police insisted they had evidence and formally charged him leading to a trial in 2005. And during the trial, in August of 2005,

the prosecution laid out the case I just described. And they pointed to the DNA blood evidence on the shoes, the witness who placed Niels drunk and aggressive that night, and even an alleged incriminating remark from Niels. And one police officer testified that while in custody, Niels had muttered, what's done is done. I'll get 15 years. Huh? What did you say, Niels? Could you say that again? On camera? What's going on? Implying a subconscious confession that he expected to go to prison. And the prosecution also had the two Birdwatchers claim that the man they saw leaving the scene was indeed Niels, but the defense would dispute that identification.

And they argued that no other suspect matched the evidence as well as Gustafson did, and that his motive was plausible given jealousy or intoxicated rage. And Niels Gustafsons' defense team, led by attorney Rita Lapinamee, fought back vigorously. And they argued that the entire case was speculative and that Gustafin could not have physically done it given his injuries. And they brought in experts to say that a person with a broken jaw and a concussion would have been unlikely to overpower three people and then calmly stage a scene, walking half a kilometer to hide items before injuring himself further. So the defense cast doubt on the reliability of the new witness as well, the woman camper, who came forward after 45 years. And they pointed out Milo's personal diary from the day of June 4, 1960, that made no mention of any such visit to another.

their tent, which it truly would have if something unusual had occurred. That's what they're saying. And they suggested this woman's memory might be faulty or influenced by the documentary process. And they also highlighted the contaminated crime scene. And any blood pattern conclusions to draw so many years later could be questionable. They said, because evidence was compromised. And the defense noted that no murder weapon was connected to Niels and that none of the missing items were found in his possession. And importantly, they argued that the, original eyewitness accounts consistently indicated someone else. And the blonde man seen walking away was initially assumed to be the killer,

not Gustafin lying injured on the ground. In other words, the third party involvement was more likely. This is what defense is saying. And they said that if Neal's blood was absent on the shoes, a simpler explanation was that he wasn't wearing them when attacked. And perhaps he was sleeping barefoot or the killer removed them for some unknown reason. And that didn't automatically mean he was the murderer, which is fair. You know, he could be not wearing shoes when he's sleeping.

That makes sense. But the trial captured national attention. And after weeks of testimony on October 7, 2005, the court delivered its verdict. And that was that Niels Gustafsson was acquitted of all charges. And the judges found that the evidence was insufficient and too contradictory to convict. And the DNA on the shoes raised suspicions but did not prove Neil's guilt beyond. reasonable doubt, especially given the alternative interpretations. And the alleged motive was deemed speculative. And there was no direct evidence of a jealousy-fueled fight, strong enough to trigger mass

murder. And the long passage of time had adamantly made certainty impossible, as the court noted. So the presumption of innocence had to prevail. And after 44 years of being considered a victim, Niels Gustavuson walked out a free man, legally innocent and exonerated. And he was awarded. $44,900 by the state as compensation for the mental suffering caused by the wrongful detainment and trial. And Gustafsson, who had always maintained he had no memory and no guilt, expressed relief at the verdict. But despite the acquittal, opinions remained divided. Some, in the public, swayed by the prosecution's narrative, still harbor suspicions about Gustafsson.

And others believe he was just as much as a victim as the friends he lost, and that the real killer was someone else who just got away with it. And the trial's aftermath left an uneasy feeling. Because if Nils wasn't the killer, then the case was back to square one, unsolved, cold case. And if he was, then justice might not have been truly served given the acquittal. But officially, with Gustavusine cleared

and no other act of suspects, the Lake Bodom murders returned to cold case status after 2005. And no one has ever been convicted for the crime. And to this day, the question of who slaughtered those innocent teens by the lake is unanswered. And all the prominent suspects, including Yulstrom, Osman, Soininen, and Gustavsen, are either deceased or legally absolved, leaving the Bodom case cold. But let me know what you guys think down below.

It's hard. It's hard. You know, we have all this information now. And for me, just looking at the brutality of the murder, especially of the significant other. and where they were and everything. It is absolutely possible that someone could have been fixated on this group and done something like this. But if we're looking statistically, it's usually someone that, you know.

So in that regard, it looks like that and with the broken jaw and all the... I don't know. I have no idea. All I know is that I feel horribly for the victim's families and for the victims themselves. so no one deserves to die, especially as young as they were, and it's just horrible. But, you know, I hope that one day it can be solved, but it doesn't look like it ever can be, given all the suspects are dead or absolved. So I'm not sure, but all I know is that these were horrible murders, and the families deserve justice.

But let me know what you guys think down below. Also, let me know what other cases you want me to cover down below. always read the comments and I will see your beautiful face in the next video. Okay, stay safe. Bye.