Lead prosecutor Susanne Bluhm yesterday told TV2 that the police will be looking at other cases in connection with the abduction of Filippa over the weekend.
“It’s natural to look at other unsolved cases to see if there may be a relationship,” she said.
Earlier a lawyer acting on behalf of the mother of murder victim Emilie Meng – the 17-year-old abducted in 2016 in the west Zealand village of Korsør, 5 km from the address in Svenstrup where Filippa was discovered on Sunday afternoon – appealed to the police to investigate any possible link.
Suspect in custody until May 11
Yesterday, a 32-year-old local man was charged with raping Filippa several times, abduction and other related charges.
The suspect, who partially acknowledged the charges, will remain in custody until at least May 11 while South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police collect evidence – from both interviews with the victim and suspected perpetrator.
The police will also investigate whether anyone else was involved in the abduction.
Police likely to investigate
Emilie Meng disappeared in Korsør in July 2016 – less than 20 km due west of Kirkerup, the small town in which Filippa was abducted. Emilie’s body was discovered in early 2017 in a lake in Borup. Her murder remains unsolved.
“There aren’t very many young girls who disappear in Denmark. Therefore, of course, it is almost impossible not to draw some kind of connection with what happened to Emilie then,” lawyer Mai-Brit Storm Thygesen told TV2.
Former Rigspolitiet department head Bent Isager-Nielsen contends that police will probably review other similar cases and carry out DNA checks.
“It goes without saying that when a man is suspected of such serious things, the police will investigate similar murder and rape cases that are unsolved,” he told DR.
Step-father appeals to parents
Meanwhile, Filippa’s step-father, Allan Gøgsig Nielsen, has appealed to parents to take more notice of what their children might be doing with their phones, because he received a flood of prank calls during the hours when Filippa was missing.
“I would like to appeal to you to talk to your children about how to handle the information that a telephone number is,” he said.
“I have had to take every single call, hoping that it could give us an answer. It has been difficult, and I hope you will talk to them.”
In related news, the suspect’s Facebook profile has been taken down after many members of the public left messages on it. TV2 has spoken to relatives and friends of the suspect.
