On April 8 this year, the Swedish Prosecution Authority announced that a man had been arrested on suspicion of the double murder of Tor Öberg and Gerd Wiklund, who were found dead on a farm in Brattås outside Härnösand in June 2005.
The man was identified using DNA genealogy from a trail a suspected perpetrator had left at the crime scene.
We were satisfied. It's nice to see that the process we have set up works, and that we have identified a person who has at least left a trail, says Siri Aili Fagerholm, operations expert at the National Forensic Center (NFC) who is responsible for the method within the police.
The man, who is now in custody, denies the crime and, according to his defense attorney, has provided an explanation for why his DNA was found at the crime scene.
First under new law
The case is the first to lead to an arrest using the method since it was allowed in the summer of 2025. It was previously used in a pilot project to solve the double murder in Linköping in 2004, but the Swedish Privacy Authority later concluded that the law needed to be changed for the method to be used.
The genealogists at NFC are working on several cases in parallel. But the requirements for using the method are high, and there must be good DNA traces.
Police regions are allowed to nominate cases to test DNA genealogy. Ultimately, it is up to prosecutors to make the decision, but NFC provides assessments of incoming cases based on its criteria, primarily the quality and quantity of the DNA trace.
When a case is rejected, it is of course a disappointment for the investigators, says Siri Aili Fagerholm.
But it may be that in 10-15 years we will give a different assessment, as technology is developing very quickly.
The method may only be used in investigations into murder or aggravated rape, and a number of rape cases have been denied because they are not classified as aggravated, she says.
Identify the deceased
DNA genealogy is also not currently used to identify deceased persons, which has been done in the USA with great success. However, the Swedish Police Authority is reviewing the possibilities to do so, says Siri Aili Fagerholm.
The method is just as suitable for identification matters, and I see it as natural that we would use it for that.
There are often underlying crimes in these cases as well, she says.
If you can't find out who the victim is, it is obviously much more difficult to find the perpetrator.
A case that becomes relevant for genealogy goes through four stages.
1. DNA analysis: An extended analysis of the biological trace is performed and the result is formatted to be compared with genealogy databases.
2. Comparison in genealogy databases: Data is transferred and the Swedish Data Protection Authority is informed. The handling is done separately, so that no one else can search against the current DNA trace.
3. Hit list and selection. The police receive results in the form of a hit list and based on this, genealogy research is carried out to see who left the DNA trail.
4. Hit on a person. If a person can be identified as a reasonable suspect, they can be forced to undergo a swab test, which can then be compared against the DNA trace. Swab testing can also be done voluntarily and result in a hit.
Source: Police.
