What happened
Nine-year-old Therese Johannessen disappeared from the Fjell area of Drammen in 1988.
The investigation
Police conducted extensive searches and over the years examined tips, possible confessions and links to offenders in Norway and neighboring countries.
What the courts or investigators concluded
Therese has never been found and no person has been convicted in connection with her disappearance.
Why the case remains significant
The case remains one of Norway’s best-known missing-child mysteries and demonstrates how quickly a disappearance can become a generational cold case when no reliable physical evidence emerges.
Case context
Crime by Region organizes cases geographically so readers can move from one file to other investigations from the same country. For unresolved or contested cases, the wording above reflects the distinction between confirmed events, investigative theories and findings actually established in court.