– It is difficult to understand that someone chose that Jonas should not be allowed to live any longer. I feel like I wake up to a nightmare every day, says Elin. It has almost been four months since Jonas Aarseth Henriksen was found shot dead at a cabin in Nes in Ådal. Five people have been arrested and charged with murder or complicity in murder. One has been released from custody, but he is still charged. All five deny having had anything to do with the murder. Elin says it is absurd and surreal that someone has killed her son. – Jonas was full of life. He was funny. He took the whole room when he entered. Jonas was best man when his mother married stepfather Ivar Borgen in 2014. Photo: Privat The day that changed his life On a fine late summer day on August 17, Elin and Jonas’ stepfather Ivar Borgen will visit the store in Drammen. Daughter Ida calls and wonders if she has heard from Jonas today. She is worried. Elin calls Jonas. She goes straight to the answering machine. She chooses to send a text message: “Where are you? We are worried about you.” Some time passes in the shop. The daughter calls again. She says that Jonas has been found lifeless in his car in a cottage area. Elin Aarseth finds it difficult to understand that someone chose that her son should not be allowed to live any longer. Photo: Caroline Utti / news – Then my world really fell apart, says Elin, choked with tears, about the moment. She sits down on the floor inside the shop. She needs to pull herself together. A long car trip Elin and Ivar then go straight into the car. They drive in the direction of Hønefoss. A car trip that lasts just under an hour. But it feels awfully long. The mind is spinning. Elin believes at this point that Jonas has been in an accident. She calls her daughter Ida again and wonders if they should meet at the hospital. Then Ida and her husband were on their way out to Nes in Ådal. Ida says that Elin can only get there herself. Because Ida has found out more. “Mommy, he’s dead.” – It is impossible to describe. You don’t believe it, says Elin about the incomprehensible message. They drive to the cabin field. There they meet the police. A policeman explains that Jonas is sitting in his car and that they do not know what has happened. They work according to three hypotheses. Either he got unwell, he may have taken his own life or he was exposed to something criminal. Must travel You wait at the crime scene for three hours. They have actually been promised to see him. Elin is always safe. Jonas has not taken his own life. – It was unthinkable. We were closer now than ever. He knew he could come and talk to us about anything, says Elin. Then they have to leave from there. Without seeing Jonas. – It was painful to leave him. Without knowing what had happened. Two days pass. The police say that Jonas has been killed. – It was surreal and absurd. The world stopped for me. Don’t understand why the police believe that five people were involved in the murder. All five have been charged, despite the fact that one has escaped from custody. With each arrest and with each new report in the media, all the bad feelings have returned. – It is completely absurd that it seems that so many people were involved. I like watching crime films on TV, but experiencing it on my own body is quite special. I really don’t quite understand it. All five deny having had anything to do with the murder. – Do you remember the last thing Jonas said to you? – I spoke to him on the Monday before he was killed. Then he was afraid that those who exposed him to assault and vandalism might do the same to us. But then the mother was clear. – I said that this was of course not his fault that he was exposed to the things that affected him. I told him how proud I was of him and that this was going to be fine. Then we said we liked each other. We always said that when we talked. She is glad they had that conversation, but there is one thing in particular that hurts. – I never got to properly say “have it” to him. I was able to say “have it” when he was lying in the coffin, but it’s not the same. I didn’t get to hug him one last time. Jonas’ grave is decorated with flowers and candles. Photo: Caroline Utti / news Overwhelming support Stefar Ivar Borgen came into Jonas’s life when he was 12. – I would describe him as a fun-loving boy. He was high and low, liked to be the center of attention. He was also a young mess and rushed in and took over the room in a wonderful way. Ivar Borgen has known Jonas since he was 12 years old. Photo: Caroline Utti / news He tells of overwhelming support from people known and unknown. It has warmed in what they describe as the toughest period in their lives. – We have met so many people who knew Jonas in the same way that we knew him. Who have shared nice things and told what Jonas has meant to them. It has been nice, he says. Refuses to give up With the exception of the first two weeks, Elin has continued to work. She thinks that Jonas had not wanted her to go to bed. – Even with everything Jonas was exposed to. Both vandalism, violence and threats, he didn’t let up. So then I also have to try to get up again and get my everyday life back. Elin and Ivar say that there are many things that have taken a lot of effort. In addition to the grief and the fact that the investigation will take a while, they have spent a lot of time on Jonas’ companies and on the fires of two of Jonas’ trucks. – We have to decide what happens to Jonas’s companies, the employees and insurance matters in connection with the fires, say the couple. They are determined to take back everyday life. – This must not be allowed to destroy us. Or the rest of the family. We support each other, says Elin. Hello! Thanks for reading until the end. Are you left with thoughts you would like to share? Please send me an email.
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Elin Aarseth on the loss of her son Jonas Aarseth Henriksen in Nes in Ådal – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
