The investigators have finally received a DNA match on a murder in Gothenburg from the fall of 2005.
But - because the woman the police believe to be the killer was only 17 at the time, the case will be time-barred.
It was on October 13, 2005 that a 36-year-old woman was murdered when she was going to close the fabric store Stuvkällaren in Gothenburg.
The police have had DNA traces from the suspect, female, the killer and have arrested hundreds of women over the years.
Last Friday, the police received information from NFC that they had a hit in the search for the almost 18-year-old murder. But the case probably won't go any further than that.
We got the identity and took some measures during the weekend. But the woman who was matched with the DNA was young at the time, so young that the crime will be time-barred against her, says prosecutor Ulrika Åberg to TT.
Murder doesn't really have a statute of limitations, but there is a special rule for young people that says it is statute-barred. So she is not informed of any suspicion or the like.
Cold cases
The murder in the fabric store, where the DNA traces and images from a surveillance camera pointed to a female killer, has eluded the police for a long time.
The incident is one in a series of cold cases where it was hoped for a breakthrough with the help of modern DNA technology.
We have assessed the trail as if it were the perpetrator, says Ulrika Åberg.
This time, however, there does not appear to be any legal punishment for the suspected murderer, who is a Swedish citizen and was found in connection with her arrest for another crime.
We were a bit taken aback when we looked at the legislation, says Ulrika Åberg.
Murder should not be statute-barred, but there are exceptions if you are, for example, 17 years old at the time of the crime. There is apparently a special rule which means that there is a 15-year statute of limitations and this was 18 years ago.
"Getting really weird"
What happens now in the investigation of the murder in the fabric store remains to be seen.
- We have to land in this, it may take a few days. The air is running out a little, says Ulrika Åberg.
- It will be very strange. If young people today commit crimes, should they not be able to be sentenced for a serious crime 15 years later? I imagine there will be some discussion around this rule as a result.