On the night of Sunday 8 January, Mina Alexandra and Mille Andrea Hjalmarsen (16) were found dead in a home in Spydeberg in Indre Østfold. The twin sisters were reported missing from the child welfare institution Fossumkollektivet around a day before they were found. – Police patrols were informed, which is normal routine when we receive such messages, says police attorney Benedicte Granrud. The police will not say anything about what happened between the time the girls were reported missing and when they were found dead. – There are still more witness interviews to be done, and it is important for the police that the witnesses can explain themselves without having access to this information in advance, says Granrud. 1,300 missing person reports On average, the Eastern police district receives more than three missing person reports from institutions every single day. A total of 1,300 messages about people who were missing from institutions in the police district were logged in 2022. – The same person can be missing several times at different times, explains police station chief in Indre Østfold Olav Unnestad. This means that the real number of people who were reported missing is fewer than 1,300. 491 children and young people ran away from child welfare institutions throughout the country last year. This is shown by figures that Aftenposten has obtained from the Directorate for Children, Youth and Families (Bufdir). Police station chief in Indre Østfold Olav Unnestad. Photo: Stein Ove Korneliussen/news CORRECTION: In an earlier version of this article, it was stated that the East police district received 1,300 missing persons reports from child protection last year. After the case was published, the East police district has made news aware that it applies to all institutions and not exclusively child welfare institutions. Assessing various measures When a child escapes from child protection, it is the institution where the child is staying that is responsible for contacting the police. The police then assess what kind of measures are to be taken, before the division of roles between the police and the institution is clarified. – Assessment of measures to be implemented is of course based on several elements. Examples of this will be the age of the missing person, physical and mental condition, history of escapes in the past and how this has progressed, says Unnestad. What kind of environment the missing person has visited in the past and what kind of measures the institution takes are also emphasized, according to the police station chief. The twins are believed to have died of an overdose On the night of Sunday 8 January, police, an ambulance and an ambulance went to the home in Spydeberg where twin sisters Mina Alexandra and Mille Andrea Hjalmarsen (16) were found lifeless. Mina Alexandra and Mille Andrea Hjalmarsen (16) will be buried in Askim on 25 January. The picture has been released in consultation with the twin sisters’ relatives. Photo: Privat The police believe it is likely that the girls died of an overdose with a narcotic drug. A friend of the twins’ same age was taken to hospital after a possible overdose in the same home. Earlier this week, the girl’s legal representative told news that she will be returned to the child protection service within a short time. The police will not yet say what kind of illegal drug the three girls may have ingested. – The police have an idea based on information in the case, but not the full and entire picture. A final autopsy report will provide the concrete answer, says police attorney Benedicte Granrud. The Children’s Protection Agency investigates The Children’s Protection Agency is in the process of reviewing the course of events in the case. The investigation will reveal if and where there may have been a failure, Ingrid Pelin Berg told news earlier this week. She is regional director in Bufetat region east. – At present, we have no comments on the specific incident, actual circumstances relating to the children involved or Bufetat’s connection, Berg states. The state administrator in Oslo and Viken is also investigating the case. In the wake of the deaths in Spydeberg, Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe has asked the Norwegian Health Authority to investigate all deaths linked to child welfare institutions in the past five years. Buried on 25 January Two men have been charged with the deaths. A man in his late 20s is charged with negligent homicide, while an 18-year-old man is charged with having left the twins in a helpless state. None of the accused plead guilty. They have both been detained for four weeks. The funeral of Mina Alexandra and Mille Andrea Hjalmarsen (16) will be held on 25 January in Askim church at 10.30am.
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Eastern police district received 1,300 missing persons reports from institutions in 2022 – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
