"The story really starts the summer of 1996. So she had been in America for a few months, and she sends a letter home, a couple of letters home actually, telling her family that she's going to be cutting her trip short. She wants to come back to her small town in Sweden." — Ashley
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"The case kind of stalls out at this point. They've kind of run out of suspects. There's nowhere to go. They still don't even have a crime scene." — Ashley
This episode of Crime Junkie delves into the perplexing and unsolved murder of Karina Holmer, a 19-year-old Swedish au pair who came to the United States in 1995 for a new life. The narrative highlights several puzzling aspects from the outset, including the seemingly unconventional method through which Holmer secured her au pair position, lacking official registration. She worked for a prominent Boston couple, Frank Rap, a commercial photographer, and Susan Nitscher, a painter. Holmer's stay took a concerning turn when she sent letters home indicating she was cutting her trip short, with one letter to a friend suggesting a terrible event had occurred, which she intended to disclose upon her return.
The investigation into Holmer's disappearance and subsequent murder is characterized by a scarcity of information and a series of unsettling coincidences. On the night of June 21, 1996, Holmer was last seen at a downtown Boston bar, Zanzibar, where she became heavily intoxicated. Eyewitness accounts of her departure vary, with some stating she left alone, while others suggest she was with an older man or was escorted out by a bouncer. Subsequent sightings reported her interacting with a homeless man, a man with a large white dog wearing matching Superman shirts, and possibly a group in a silver car. Thirty hours after her last confirmed sighting, an unidentified blonde woman's torso was discovered in a dumpster, later identified as Holmer's via a fake ID. The discovery was made by a homeless man searching through garbage.
The investigation faced significant hurdles, including the lack of a definitive crime scene and the limited evidence available from 1996. Several individuals were considered suspects, including the homeless man she was last seen with, and Herb Witten, the man with the dog, who was later ruled out due to a speeding ticket. A musician, John Whiz, was also briefly considered due to lyrics in a song released shortly after the murder. A man named Eugene McCollum, convicted of other murders involving decapitation, was also linked, but authorities did not consider him a suspect for Holmer's case. Notably, the host family, Frank Rap and Susan Nitscher, were investigated, but their uncooperative stance and a suspicious dumpster fire behind their condominium raised further questions. The case remains cold, with Holmer's family in Sweden still without answers.