Norway ''JENNIFER FERGATE'' WF, 21-35 - Suicide at the Oslo Plaza Hotel - 3 June 1995 - Alias & bilingual

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On May 31, 1995 a woman using the alias ''Jennifer Fergate'' checked into the Oslo Plaza Hotel along with a male companion who used the name ''Lois Fergate'' On the registration form she filled out she listed her residence as being Verlaine, Belgium, however she provided a fictitious post code, phone number and address.

On June 3, 1995 hotel staff found the woman deceased in her room by a self inflicted gun shot wound to the forehead. Very few clues exist to her true identity.
 
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Touched up post mortem photograph.


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The clothing she was wearing when she died

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The victim had four jackets, including one black leather jacket as well as a jacket from the German fashion house René Lezard.

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The victim had a Braun Büffel attaché case, Braun Buffel is a German luxury leather goods designer.

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She also wore a Citizen Aqualand diving watch on her left arm.
 
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BEFORE AND AFTER: The picture at top is from the recovery work done in 1995; the one below is from 2016. Three numbers or letters are still missing from the serial number.

Source: Mystery at the Oslo Plaza

The weapon, a Browning 9 mm pistol, was no help to the police either.

Its serial number had been etched away with acid.

The Browning is a powerful, semi-automatic weapon. When a shot is fired, the next round is automatically pushed into the firing chamber. The magazine holds nine cartridges. The pistol is manufactured in large numbers. It is reliable, often used by the police and the military, and is popular with criminals.

Experts at the laboratory of Kripos, Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service, managed to recover parts of the serial number. "The removal was done very professionally," the report says.

The Kripos technicians found two rows of numbers and letter combinations, imprinted over each other. On each row, they managed to recover six digits or letters but remained still three characters short of a complete serial number.
 

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cologne
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Reconstructions of the decedent (sketches by Harald Nygård); clothing and accessories; image of signatures. To view postmortem photographs, please click here.

Date of Discovery: June 3, 1995
Location of Discovery: Oslo, Norway
Estimated Date of Death: Minutes prior
State of Remains: Recognizable face
Cause of Death: Suicide by gunshot

Physical Description
Estimated Age: 21-35 years old
Race: White
Sex: Female
Height: 159 cm (5'2")
Weight: 67 kg (147 lbs.)
Hair: Black and short, possibly dyed.
Eye Color: Blue
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Unknown

Identifiers
Dentals: Available. Relatively expensive dental work (gold and porcelain), widely used in the U.S., Switzerland, The Netherlands and Germany.
Fingerprints: Available.
DNA: Available.

Clothing & Personal Items
Clothing: Black clothing. Long blouse, bra, long silk underwear, stockings and high-heeled shoes made in Italy. Three light-colored bras were located in her travel bag. Four jackets were also found. One was black and leather, another was a light-colored wool material. All but one label from the clothing had been removed.
Jewelry: Gold ring on right middle finger. Citizen Aqualand diving watch. It held three 370 batteries manufactured in late 1994, marked with "W395." The etching was possibly done by the merchant who changed the batteries. The watch appeared to have been manufactured around 1992.
Additional Personal Items: Ungaro Pour L’Homme 1 cologne (made for men). Turquoise-green cloth travel bag. Black Braun Büffel attaché case with eliphant logo.

Circumstances of Discovery
The woman checked into the Oslo Plaza Hotel on Wednesday, May 31, 1995 accompanied by a male companion at about 10:44 PM. She used the alias name "Jennifer Fergate" (or "Fairgate," as the room was assigned) and the man used the name "Lois Fergate." She claimed to be 21 years old and native to Belgium. The pair stayed in room 2805, which cost 1845 Kroner per night (2,900 today).

"Jennifer" spoke fluent German and English. The pair stayed in the room for three nights and did not pay for their stay, despite warnings from hotel staff that were acknowledged. "Lois" was not in the room between Thursday and Friday morning. The "do not disturb" sign had been placed on the door on those days as well.

On June 3, a gunshot (later discovered to be a "test firing" into the woman's pillow) was heard by a security guard at about 7:50 PM and a second shot was soon heard later. After a few minutes, the guard entered the room and discovered "Jennifer" lying supine on the bed with a gunshot wound to her forehead. The gun rested in her hand; held to her chest. The suicide was likely planned, according to police.

The weapon was a Browning 9mm pistol. The gun was manufactured in Belgium in 1990 or 1991. The serial number had been dissolved in acid. Some numbers were later discovered after examination. There were 32 live rounds for the gun in the woman's briefcase.

The woman had no passport with her or any identifying characteristics. Both of the hotel keys were in the room, indicating "Lois" did not plan to return after departing.

Police and witnesses theorized the woman could have been anything from a secret service, flight attendant, high-end prostitute, participant in a major drug opperation or an assassin. There is no evidence supporting any theory.

The woman was buried on June 26, 1996 in a pauper's grave.

Investigating Agency(s)
Agency Name: VG
Agency Contact Person: Lars Chr. Wegner
Agency Phone Number: +47 22 00 03 06
Agency E-Mail: jennifer(at)vg.no
Agency Case Number: Unknown
 

'VG' a Norwegian newspaper wrote a very good and in depth article about the case. Loads of information and photos are included in the article.
 

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"Jennifer Fergate" (also as "Fairgate") was the alias used by a woman who was found dead of a gunshot in a Norwegian luxury hotel in 1995. Her death was ruled a suicide but due to recent developments, the question of whether she actually shot the gun has been reexamined.

Arrival
The woman, fluent in German and English, checked into the Oslo Plaza Hotel in Oslo, Norway, at 10:44 PM, on May 31, 1995. She booked the room for 3 nights, paying 1,845 kroner for each night. She was given room 2805, and gave the following while checking in,

Name: Jennifer Fergate
Date Of Birth: August 23, 1973
(making her 21 at the time)
0748 Rue de la Stehae, 7968, Verlaine, Belgium
Phone Number: 32-68-326548
Company: Cerbis, Belgia


While a Rue de la Station, in Verlaine was located, further investigation shows that none of this information provided ever existed. "Jennifer" also checked a "Lois Fergate" into the room with her. The receptionist said he didn't see anyone with her while checking her in, but another employee said they saw "Jennifer" with a man, between 25-40 years old, going into the room with her. This man has never been identified.

Bizarrely, "Jennifer" was absent from her hotel room for the next 2 days based on data from the room's key cards, and no one remembers seeing her exit or enter her room, except once. A member of the cleaning staff remembered entering her room and finding the room clean, along with a pair of vivid high heeled shoes that were never located, and it is believed that someone took them. During her stay, she attempted to contact two invalid numbers in Seraing and Grace-Hollogne, Belgium.

The day before she died, a member of the staff saw "Jennifer" enter her room and put the "do not disturb" sign on the door handle. This sign remained on the door handle for the next day and staff became alarmed, especially when it was realized she had never checked out of the hotel the day prior.

Discovery of body
When security knocked on room 2805, they almost immediately heard a gunshot. Alarmed, they left the area and called the police. The room would remain unsupervised for 15 minutes, and Oslo police arrived 50 minutes after the gunshot was heard. When police entered the room, they found "Jennifer" lying on the bed, covered in blood, dead of a gunshot wound to her head. She was holding a Browning 9mm pistol, commonly used by criminals as well as the Norwegian army, in what appeared to be a suicide. However, the gun was held upside down, and no blood or gunshot residue was on her hand. The door had been locked from the inside as well, as if someone had locked it after exiting the room. The shot heard first was believed to have been a test shot into a pillow found near the body. Another key was found in the room, believed to have been given to "Lois", who appeared to have left the hotel for the rest of "Jennifer's" stay. An autopsy concluded that "Jennifer" was not 21 years old, and between 25-35. She also had removed all of the labels from her clothing.

Possible suspect
A businessman who was referred to as Mister. F was in room 2804, right across from "Jennifer's" room. This man claimed to be from Belgium, and checked in on June 2. Mister F. told authorities that he had been told that "Jennifer" had been found dead and was asked if he had seen anything suspicious. However, Mister F. checked out on June 3, and before she was found dead. This man has never been located.

Characteristics
  • Short, black hair (possibly dyed)
  • Blue eyes.
  • Gold and porcelain used in dental work.
Clothing and accessories
  • Black Braun Büffel attaché case.
  • Ungaro Pour L’Homme cologne.
  • Turquoise-green travel bag.
  • One blouse.
  • Four bras.
  • Long silk underwear.
  • Stockings.
  • High-heeled shoes.
  • Four jackets.
  • Gold ring.
  • Citizen Aqualand diving watch
 

'VG' a Norwegian newspaper wrote a very good and in depth article about the case. Loads of information and photos are included in the article.

This is a far longer article than I expected. A very good article though worth reading. What a strange case! I have a gazillion questions but would not know where to start. Even before it was said, I found it downright unbelievable a person could stay in any hotel, much less a hotel like this with no guarantee for payment. That makes no sense whatsoever and she had no ID, cash nor credit cards on her so what was she going to do if requested to provide same?

I think the most likely answer is Mr. F. He said a suicide was mentioned to him at the front desk before she even would have died, which is impossible or she was already dead and he knew it. That would explain the digestion process and time she ate her food as well. However, that would also indicate hotel security was wrong about a gun shot and at what time... And that LE is wrong about time of death. I wonder though about a hotel employee or two--somehow she was given a top quality room in the best areas/floors with no credit card, etc....

Her missing clothing and toiletries, etc. could most easily be explained, imo, that she was also in someone else's room and the rest of her things were there. Or even most of her things...

Key cards apparently only log entry. That means nothing of who she may have let in at any time then. Hotel security can open locked doors but no one else. I may or may not believe this... I can cite an example of finding out otherwise in my lifetime when maids denied having a way to enter and long story short, I came to find out that is what guests were told, but they often do. Not saying anyone did that, just saying it can be the case... Staff here does not sound too perfect, at least not all of them at the time, as she obtained a room for days and a room tab and never paid a cent nor provided a guarantee to pay with a credit card or anything...

Still the entire case is strange. What woman runs around with a briefcase with 30 some rounds of ammo and nothing else in it. What woman has a gun that has serial numbers professionally removed/destroyed... What woman removes all labels or traces of identification? Or did she? Was it someone else who did all that?

One other odd thing not really explained is room service said they had the wrong room number with the food and were knocking on Mr. F's door first, finally realized it was for her room but never is it explained how the wrong number was given, how it was discovered it was the other room, etc. and again we have Mr. F...

And then add the complimentary newspaper with the wrong room number on it and we have three rooms on this floor, hers, Mr. F's and the newspaper room that could possibly have a connection? Know each other? I guess she could have taken the newspaper off of someone else's door or something but it seems unlikely. Why?

So much evidence destroyed. Why? The hotel wanting no one questioned past or present, why? It is a long time ago now, what is the big deal?

I will leave it there but there is so much that makes this downright one of the strangest cases I have ever read. And really intriguing as well!
 
@Whatsnext , do you have any insight on this case, considering that this woman seems to have been German based on the GREAT article @Scorpio posted from Norway? I'm baffled, but very intrigued. Not sure of specific questions eo ask you, but what is your overall impression of her, and what does your intuition tell you, if anything? Anyone else have any insight or theories?
Thanks!
 
@Whatsnext , do you have any insight on this case, considering that this woman seems to have been German based on the GREAT article @Scorpio posted from Norway? I'm baffled, but very intrigued. Not sure of specific questions eo ask you, but what is your overall impression of her, and what does your intuition tell you, if anything? Anyone else have any insight or theories?
Thanks!
I have to tell ya, I don't normally think this way, but this woman sounds like a spy that perhaps was outed to the bad guys and killed. I would have to go back and reread but if I recall, this hotel was known as a private meeting spot for leaders and others from various countries where things were kept hushed, no bugs in the hotel, in a neutral country... And Germany and Norway have their history whether Norway was neutral or not, it did not save them from Germany's plans... Not knocking Germany, saying back when in the war...

I don't usually think real life cases read like international intrigue, it would be far fetched normally, but this one is downright strange.

Drugs I have considered and prostitution as well. Add in though the very weird and strange elements and it is so very odd. Tags cut off high end clothing, claiming to be from Belgium not Germany, a woman without apparently a penny with her but a suitcase full of ammo and very nice clothing and apparently the ability to travel there... The hotel seriously bothers me. She gets a high end room with no credit card or proof of ability to pay? And even if there was a reason or excuse on check-in, this goes on for days unnoticed...?

I don't always believe in cover-ups but boy this case... I guess she could be a lower level informant on guns, ammo or drug trade trying to find out higher up info and was realized and killed...

This case feels and reads like a novel of intrigue...

She also could have simply committed suicide but why all the secrecy of her life...? There is some reason for the extreme secrecy whether it is something in her life or more than that... Imo.
 
@Whatsnext , do you have any insight on this case, considering that this woman seems to have been German based on the GREAT article @Scorpio posted from Norway? I'm baffled, but very intrigued. Not sure of specific questions eo ask you, but what is your overall impression of her, and what does your intuition tell you, if anything? Anyone else have any insight or theories?
Thanks!
Hey gar, I don't think I know more about this case than what is posted here. It only reminds me of the Isdal woman, IMO both were spies.
 
I can't understand how anyone, if not Unsolved Mysteries can obtain a photo of what indeed looks like "Jennifer", without having knowledge of knowing who she is. The photo itself would identify her.... You can't get a photo of someone without knowing their identify.
 

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I can't understand how anyone, if not Unsolved Mysteries can obtain a photo of what indeed looks like "Jennifer", without having knowledge of knowing who she is. The photo itself would identify her.... You can't get a photo of someone without knowing their identify.
That is strange isn't it? Unless it was in her room or on her person... Or they just don't know her real name but found a picture from somewhere under this "Jennifer Fergate" name?

There is a case on here, nothing like this one, just a woman who died in a nursing home and they found the name they knew her by was not her real one or "she doesn't exist"... She too though, has more than one picture that can be found and one would think the nursing home had to know where she came from to their facility, received some type of payment, etc. in some name... It is like all is not being told... That was a death at the nursing home, not a crime as far as death, so nowhere close to the same.
 

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