Man accidentally took photos of murderer and his victim while testing new digital camera
Topics: Crime, Photography, True crime, World News
Poppy Bilderbeck
Featured Image Credit: The Crime Center/Tomas Langton
Topics: Crime, Photography, True crime, World News
Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
A man accidentally took photographs of a 10-year-old murder victim and her attacker while testing his new camera.
On 5 April, 2008, 10-year-old Engla Höglund went missing on her way home in Stjärnsund, Sweden.
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The young girl had been playing football at the local community center and had agreed with her mom, Carina, she'd cycle home but would check in every 10 minutes given she hadn't ridden in a few months and was cycling alone.
Engla picked up the phone to her mom around 10 minutes from home, however, that call would be the last time Carina ever heard from her daughter.
When Engla didn't return home within 20 minutes, Carina called her phone again but she didn't pick up and so she went searching for her, calling at her daughter's friends' houses to see if she'd ended up there instead.
Carina eventually spotted Engla's bike around 200 yards from their house and immediately called her husband and then police.
Police immediately launched a search for the young girl, including a helicopter, boats and a search party of volunteers.
But it wasn't until local amateur photographer Tomas Langton came forward that any sort of solid lead arose.
Langton came forward to police to explain he was out testing his new camera on the very day Engla went missing.
After going through his photos, he'd realised he accidentally captured not only Engla, but also the person who would turn out to be uncovered as her murderer, on his device.
One of the images shows Engla on her bike, passing a trio of people on a road.
And another image shows a red Saab 900 car, it's number plate clearly visible.
Police looked up the car's number plate and found its owner - 42-year-old truck driver Anders Eklund from Torsåker in Gästrikland.
On April 13, it was revealed Engla was dead.
After days of police interrogation, Eklund admitted to abducting the young girl, before then murdering and raping her - the attack having taken place around 20 minutes or so after Langton took the photographs.
Eklund also told police where he'd disposed of her body - in a small village near Torsåker.
And he confessed to another murder - of 31-year-old Pernilla Hellgren - too, which had taken place eight years prior.
On October 6 2008, Eklund was found guilty of the two murders, one count of rape and of child pornography charges and sentenced to life in prison where he remains to this day.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.