Late Tuesday afternoon, a new detention hearing was held against the 45-year-old, who has been locked up since mid-October. Partly because the detention period has expired, but also because a new criminal classification has been added to the case: aggravated grave peace.

Admits

During the detention hearing in Sundsvall District Court, he continued to deny murder - but admitted the charges of grave peace crimes.

"He admits to grave crimes of the normal degree," the 45-year-old's defender, lawyer Per Näslund, told SVT.

This means that the man admitted that he, in some way and at some stage, handled the woman's body after death occurred.

The 25-year-old woman was last seen on October 8 near her home in central Timrå. A few days later, she was found dead in a wooded area west of Kramfors.

Indictment by Feb. 21

The 45-year-old man was arrested a few days after the disappearance and has been in custody since mid-October. He has consistently denied the murder charges.

According to prosecutor Christina Edlund Nilsson's new arrest petition for suspected serious grave peace crimes, that crime was allegedly committed 8-9 October - ie very shortly after the woman disappeared - in the area where the body was found.

On Tuesday, it was also clear that the preliminary investigation into kidnapping in the case will be closed. The suspicions against the 45-year-old are from now on, murder and aggravated grave violence.

Disclosure ban

The prosecutor has previously imposed a disclosure ban on all parties to the case, taking into account the confidentiality of the preliminary investigation, but it is confirmed that the woman and the man in custody knew each other before.

Charges are now due by February 21.

Javascript is turned off

Javascript must be turned on to play video

Learn more about browser support

60 seconds – hear the police talk about the search for the missing woman, and how the police soon suspected a crime. Photo: Örjan Leek & SVT