In June 1984, a young woman disappeared from a Stockholm street and later turned up butchered in a crime that became Sweden’s most notorious unsolved murder. It also inspired Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (originally titled Men Who Hate Women in Sweden).
Twenty-eight-year-old Catrine da Costa, a prostitute and heroin addict, was a regular on Malmskillnadsgatan, the short stretch of road in central Stockholm where sex workers operated. She had been married before and had a son but had fallen on hard times.
On June 10th, 1984, she was seen getting out of a man’s car and then vanished. Her mother, with whom she had a close relationship, reported her missing when she didn’t hear from her. No trace emerged until July 18th, when pieces of her dismembered corpse were found in a garbage bag beneath an overpass in Solna, north of the city center. Additional parts were recovered weeks later (around August 7th). Her head, internal organs, genitalia, and one breast were never found. She was identified via fingerprints, but a cause of death could not be determined due to the missing vital parts. The dismemberment appeared professionally executed.
Pathologist Teet Härm soon drew police attention. He frequented prostitutes, worked at the Karolinska Institutet (located roughly midway between the body discovery sites), and specialized in strangulation cases, having written papers on the topic. His wife, Ann-Catherine, was found hanged in 1982 shortly after filing for divorce; her father suspected foul play, and Härm showed unusual detachment. A former supervisor, Jovan Rajs, strongly believed Härm was involved.
Prostitutes on Malmskillnadsgatan identified Härm positively in surveys; one claimed he had beaten her. A search of his home revealed knives and violent pornography. He was arrested.
Meanwhile, general practitioner Thomas Allgén, a former colleague of Härm’s, also came under scrutiny. His wife was divorcing him amid allegations he sexually abused their young daughter. The child reportedly described witnessing a woman being cut apart by her father and a man resembling Härm.
Trial evidence included circumstantial details and claims from photography shop owners who said they developed photos of a dismembered body in summer 1984, picked up by men matching Härm and Allgén’s descriptions.
The doctors were initially convicted, but the verdict was overturned due to a technicality (jurors gave unauthorized media interviews). After public outcry, a second trial acquitted them of murder. The judge believed they were likely guilty of desecrating the body (dismemberment), but the statute of limitations for that offense had expired, so they were released. Their medical licenses were later revoked amid controversy.
Härm attempted suicide in 1985. Both men later sued the state for defamation and lost income without success. The case sparked massive public debate in Sweden, with many believing the doctors escaped justice despite the acquittal.
Polish-born butcher and former policeman Stanislaw Gonerka was another early suspect. He had been institutionalized since 1974 after strangling and dismembering a woman (her head also missing) and was released months before Catrine’s murder. He was known on Malmskillnadsgatan, and his name appeared in Catrine’s diary. Forensic comparisons were inconclusive. He died in 1987.
The case remains officially unsolved, with the statute of limitations expiring in 2009. New attention came in November 2024 with the SVT documentary series Dokument Inifrån: Det svenska styckmordet (“Documents from the Inside: The Swedish Dismemberment Murder”). Teet Härm, living as a recluse since 1985 with no regular job and a severe hearing disability from his suicide attempt, gave his first interviews in decades. The now elderly Jovan Rajs reaffirmed his belief in Härm’s guilt.
However, DNA advancements have strengthened doubts about the doctors’ involvement: a hair found on the body, believed to belong to the killer, did not match either man.
On June 16th, 2026, Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer announced ex gratia payments of 2 million SEK each to Härm and Allgén, along with a public apology for their ordeal. Lawyers for the men had pushed for further redress and a potential retrial process following the documentary.
The murder of Catrine da Costa continues to haunt Sweden, highlighting issues around prostitution, violence against women, media influence on justice, and the challenges of cold cases. No one has ever been convicted, and her missing remains prevent definitive answers about how she died.
Crime Immemorial 