A story involving an inventor, a missing female journalist, and a sunken submarine has gripped the people of Scandinavia. But despite what it sounds like, it’s not a crime novel or an action movie. Danish inventor Peter Madsen has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after taking a Swedish journalist, Kim Wall, out for a ride in his self-made submarine.

Early Saturday morning, Wall’s boyfriend reported her as missing, because she hadn’t returned home the night before. A search and rescue operation began, and Madsen was discovered sitting on a sinking submarine. He jumped off the sinking vessel near Copenhagen, just as rescue boats approached.

Later on Saturday, the submarine, called UC3 Nautilus, was recovered from the bottom of the sea, but no body was found inside and there’s no chance to recover any potential DNA evidence because it would have been washed away. Madsen claims technical issues sank the submarine.

Madsen also said that he dropped Wall off outside a restaurant on the mainland at 10:30 p.m. on Friday. But she hasn’t been seen since a passerby snapped a photo of the two on the submarine tower before they left the Copenhagen harbor on Thursday.

A Danish submarine inventor has been charged in the death of Kim Wall, a journalist. But her body is still missing. https://t.co/hWTvDNuCLg pic.twitter.com/1i2IKQqIge

— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) August 13, 2017

Danish police believe Madsen may have accidentally killed Wall and then tried to cover his tracks by sinking the submarine. They said they still hope to find Wall alive, but that they are prepared for the worst case scenario. Madsen is denying any wrongdoing.

Wall is a 30-year-old Swedish freelance journalist who graduated from Columbia University in New York and has worked with publications like the New York Times, Vice, and Time.

According to Swedish media, Wall was in the submarine with Madsen as part of her research for an upcoming article about Madsen and his new space project. Madsen also reportedly gave a second explanation of when and where he supposedly dropped Wall off on the Friday evening, but the police have not revealed any details about that version.

Kim Wall remains missing. Please share her photo with anyone you might know in Denmark. https://t.co/ercjiTclmM

— Jenny Hollander (@_JennyHollander) August 12, 2017

Madsen is known as a “hobby engineer” with “low social skills,” who is currently attempting to build space rockets. His nickname in Denmark is Rocket Madsen, and he is currently running Rocket Madsen’s Space Laboratory, which aims to become the first non-governmental and volunteer-only organization to send humans to space.

In 2014, he started a crowd-funding page attempting to raise $50,000 for the refurbishment of the submarine. He only raised $6,170. But 10 volunteers worked on finishing the refurbishment, which actually ended in an ownership dispute. Nautilus was initially built as a hobby project by a group of enthusiasts, which included Madsen. But after the dispute, the ownership was transferred to Madsen. After that he allegedly said, “You may think that a curse is lying on Nautilus. That curse is me. There will not be peace on Nautilus for as long as I exist.” That eerie statement sounds even more harrowing today, as the search for Wall continues.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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For the past couple months, residents in the Washington DC metro area have been inundated with almost daily images of missing teen girls on local TV newscasts and on social media. The unprecedented onslaught of missing persons coverage, involving primarily black and hispanic girls, has led locals to wonder what’s going on in the District, inspiring the hashtag #MissingDCGirls.

According to the DC Police Department’s website, there have been a total of 501 missing persons cases involving juveniles in the first three months of 2017. As of Friday, there are currently 22 open missing juvenile cases. While the case volume appears staggering, is it really out of the ordinary? Here’s what you need to know about DC’s missing teens.

Not Just Teen Girls Missing

Well for starters, it’s not just teen girls that are missing. There have been several teen boys reported missing as well, including 14-year-old Jaylen Lee and 14-year-old Navaras Johnson. Lee has been missing since March 18 and Johnson has been missing since February 27. Both boys are labeled as “critical missing.”

Have you seen him? 14 yo Jaylen Lee last seen 1000 b/o Maryland Ave, NE. Text 50411/ call 202-727-9099 #MissingPerson pic.twitter.com/tY5hh7xcLY

— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) March 20, 2017

Viral Instagram Post Got it Wrong

An Instagram post claiming that 14 DC girls had gone missing in a single day went viral across social media on Thursday, sparking outrage.

14 black girls go missing in 24 hrs & I have to rely on Black Twitter to get info cuz mainstream media’s too busy to care. #missingdcgirls

— Shalisa Hayes (@ShalisaHayes) March 24, 2017

While any number of missing teens cases is definitely cause for concern, the police have said that this information is inaccurate. According to NBC Washington, actress Taraji P. Henson, rapper LL Cool J, and hip-hop mogul Russel Simmons were among those who shared the misleading post with their followers. Henson’s post garnered over 38,000 likes and countless comments.

Black Lawmakers Want Action

A group of black members of Congress have requested that the FBI and DOJ look into the missing black and hispanic teens.

In a letter obtained by the Associated Press, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C) called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director James Comey to “devote the resources necessary to determine whether these developments are an anomaly or whether they are indicative of an underlying trend that must be addressed.”

Number of Missing Teens is Actually Normal

While lawmakers are pushing for an investigation, local law enforcement don’t seem as worried by the numbers. At a press conference on March 16, Acting DC Police Chief Newsham, Commander Chanel Dickerson, and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser indicated that the number of missing kids was in fact normal.

“The number of missing person reports has remained constant…what has changed is getting that information out quickly. There is no evidence to suggest there has been an increase in missing persons,”  said Bowser.

Chief Newsham also said that the year-over-year number of missing persons, including juveniles, has held steady, and that there is no known link in D.C. now between missing people and human trafficking.

While the increased social media efforts have certainly made residents more aware of missing teens, they have also increased paranoia about a wider conspiracy.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

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