- It was this teddy bear that gave the Doe their post-mortem moniker, "Teddybjørn-mannen", or "The Teddy Bear Man" in English.
Back at the sheriff's office in Geilo, Torstein Seim has pulled out a small yellow-brown teddy bear. It has a black snout and bears the mark of being well used. Blue patches are sewn on to the paws.
- As you can see, these are rough stitches. It is clearly repaired.
The teddy bear has movable arms and is filled with straw. Around the neck on the inside of the lining there is a metal ring.
Maybe it was a treasured childhood toy for the Doe, or a mascot?
Late in the afternoon of September 12, 1992, the phone rings at Hol sheriff's office in Geilo. Some grouse hunters have made a macabre discovery on the Hardangervidda.
Almost 30 years later, the case is still a mystery. Who exactly was the "Teddybjørn-mannen" ("Teddy Bear Man")?
LE Øyvind Tuvnes and Torstein Seim pick up a pair of jeans at the discovery site on the Hardangervidda 13. September 1992. Photo: Private
A few facts from the case:
- Found September 13th, 1992, in the Dagali area of Hardangervidda in Norway.
- The Doe is most likely male. Doe has a "typical male skull", and was found with male clothing, but "has typical female type hips". The reconstruction has therefore been given both male and female features.
- In 1992, Kripos' ID group investigated the findings against unresolved missing cases in Norway. It gave no hits. Nor did an international search through Interpol yield results.
- In 2022, DNA testing of the remains yielded no further answers to the identity or the sex of Teddybjørn-mannen.
- There were no identity papers in the wallet. The only thing of interest is a Norwegian thousand kroner bill. Further investigations at Norges Bank showed that the banknote was put into circulation for the first time in September 1991.
- Estimated PMI was originally one to two years prior to discovery, but thanks to the the 1000NOK bill and the bread package (see below), the estimated DoD is most likely somewhere between November 1991 to spring 1992.
Apart from the before mentioned teddy bear, Teddybjørn-mannen was found with several items:
-Of the foods, there is one thing that stands out: A German-produced package with wholemeal bread that has been imported and sold in Norway. Investigations by the importer show that this particular package was imported to Norway in November or December 1991.
GERMAN PRODUCED: This wholemeal bread is produced in Germany, but was sold in Norway. According to the importer, it was imported to Norway in November / December 1991. Photo: Police
- Several of the items hints to the Doe being from Germany, like freezer bags for food with a German label, and the origin of the clothes are traced to Germany, but no information to give an indication to where in Germany they were bought (note: clothes bought in Germany doesn't necessarily mean that the Doe was German or from Germany, though).
- The size of the clothes indicates a person who was slim.
Which brings us the the clothing and equipment Teddybjørn-mannen was wearing and brought along: They don't make sense. (in the interview: "Can you walk far inland on the snow-covered Hardangervidda without skis or snowshoes in December?" "No no no. I consider this to be completely out of the question. It is almost impossible, says Torstein.")
- The items found with the Doe, indicates that this was a person who was not a mountain-accustomed person.
Several bottles filled with water and the rough car map do not indicate a mountain-accustomed person ("A Norwegian might not want to carry so much water into the mountains. It may indicate that this person comes from a country where it is not common to be able to drink from streams, says Torstein. It is also strange for a Norwegian on a mountain hike to walk in these mountains wearing a leather jacket and denim trousers.")
MAP: The map of southern Norway was bought in a store in Storgata in Oslo. The map was unsuitable for use on hiking in the mountains (it's a car map). Photo: Police
The reconstruction of Teddybjørn-mannen with the teddy bear, the map, and a bottle located at the discovery site:
Sources:
Back at the sheriff's office in Geilo, Torstein Seim has pulled out a small yellow-brown teddy bear. It has a black snout and bears the mark of being well used. Blue patches are sewn on to the paws.
- As you can see, these are rough stitches. It is clearly repaired.
The teddy bear has movable arms and is filled with straw. Around the neck on the inside of the lining there is a metal ring.
Maybe it was a treasured childhood toy for the Doe, or a mascot?
Late in the afternoon of September 12, 1992, the phone rings at Hol sheriff's office in Geilo. Some grouse hunters have made a macabre discovery on the Hardangervidda.
Almost 30 years later, the case is still a mystery. Who exactly was the "Teddybjørn-mannen" ("Teddy Bear Man")?
LE Øyvind Tuvnes and Torstein Seim pick up a pair of jeans at the discovery site on the Hardangervidda 13. September 1992. Photo: Private
A few facts from the case:
- Found September 13th, 1992, in the Dagali area of Hardangervidda in Norway.
- The Doe is most likely male. Doe has a "typical male skull", and was found with male clothing, but "has typical female type hips". The reconstruction has therefore been given both male and female features.
- In 1992, Kripos' ID group investigated the findings against unresolved missing cases in Norway. It gave no hits. Nor did an international search through Interpol yield results.
- In 2022, DNA testing of the remains yielded no further answers to the identity or the sex of Teddybjørn-mannen.
- There were no identity papers in the wallet. The only thing of interest is a Norwegian thousand kroner bill. Further investigations at Norges Bank showed that the banknote was put into circulation for the first time in September 1991.
- Estimated PMI was originally one to two years prior to discovery, but thanks to the the 1000NOK bill and the bread package (see below), the estimated DoD is most likely somewhere between November 1991 to spring 1992.
Apart from the before mentioned teddy bear, Teddybjørn-mannen was found with several items:
-Of the foods, there is one thing that stands out: A German-produced package with wholemeal bread that has been imported and sold in Norway. Investigations by the importer show that this particular package was imported to Norway in November or December 1991.
GERMAN PRODUCED: This wholemeal bread is produced in Germany, but was sold in Norway. According to the importer, it was imported to Norway in November / December 1991. Photo: Police
- Several of the items hints to the Doe being from Germany, like freezer bags for food with a German label, and the origin of the clothes are traced to Germany, but no information to give an indication to where in Germany they were bought (note: clothes bought in Germany doesn't necessarily mean that the Doe was German or from Germany, though).
- The size of the clothes indicates a person who was slim.
Which brings us the the clothing and equipment Teddybjørn-mannen was wearing and brought along: They don't make sense. (in the interview: "Can you walk far inland on the snow-covered Hardangervidda without skis or snowshoes in December?" "No no no. I consider this to be completely out of the question. It is almost impossible, says Torstein.")
- The items found with the Doe, indicates that this was a person who was not a mountain-accustomed person.
Several bottles filled with water and the rough car map do not indicate a mountain-accustomed person ("A Norwegian might not want to carry so much water into the mountains. It may indicate that this person comes from a country where it is not common to be able to drink from streams, says Torstein. It is also strange for a Norwegian on a mountain hike to walk in these mountains wearing a leather jacket and denim trousers.")
MAP: The map of southern Norway was bought in a store in Storgata in Oslo. The map was unsuitable for use on hiking in the mountains (it's a car map). Photo: Police
The reconstruction of Teddybjørn-mannen with the teddy bear, the map, and a bottle located at the discovery site:
Sources:
