The police are now seeking more people who were moving around central Rönninge on the night before Boxing Day, when a 25-year-old woman was attacked after getting off the commuter train. The murder suspect Vilma Andersson remains in custody, but investigators want to map out every movement in the area to secure the entire sequence of events.
The 25-year-old woman had been out with friends on Christmas evening and was traveling home by commuter train from Stockholm. At around 01:25 on the night of December 26, she got off at Rönninge station in Salem municipality.
According to the police’s current appeal, she then walked along the path by the tracks and continued towards Tallsätravägen in the direction of Rosstorpsbacken. At around 01:30, it is believed she was attacked on Tallsätravägen near the Berga IP football field. She never made it home.
The Family’s Search Led to Crucial Finds
When the woman was missing on the morning after Christmas, her relatives themselves began searching in the area around the station. Among other things, her headphones were found there. According to earlier media reports, a hammer, cable ties, and suspicious cord tracks were also discovered.
The finds became central to the police’s continued work. They were sent to the National Forensic Centre (NFC) and, according to earlier information, technical evidence led to then 26-year-old transvestite Vilma Andersson.
Andersson was arrested later that evening following an extensive surveillance operation. According to previous media reports, the arrest took place in a wooded area, where he is suspected to have handled and attempted to dispose of remains from the woman.
Detained for Murder and Desecration of a Grave
Vilma Andersson was later remanded on probable cause for murder and gross desecration of a grave. He denies the murder but, according to previous reports, has admitted to desecration of a grave.
The prosecutor has previously stated that there is no known connection between Andersson and the murdered woman. She is therefore believed to have been randomly selected on her way home from the station.
At the same time, several key questions in the investigation have remained unclear, including exactly where and when the murder took place. In legal documents, the crime has been described as committed in Rönninge or at another location in Stockholm County.
Previously Convicted for Attempted Kidnapping
Vilma Andersson, previously known as Robin Säbb Hjerth, has previously been convicted for a notable attempted kidnapping of a ten-year-old girl in Ekerö in 2019.
The girl was on her way home when a masked man tried to force her into a car. She managed to escape and raise the alarm. In the subsequent investigation, police also found a very large number of child pornography images and videos, as well as other material that caused serious concern.
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Andersson was convicted of attempted child abduction and aggravated child pornography offenses and sentenced to two years and four months in prison. During his time in prison, he was also convicted of threatening a public servant after threatening staff at Kristianstad Prison.
After his release, he changed his name several times and now lives under the name Vilma Andersson.
Police Want to Hear from Everyone Who Was Out
Even though a person is in custody, the police now want more information from people who were in central Rönninge on the night before Boxing Day.
The police are particularly interested in people who were moving in the area between 1:00 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., on foot or by vehicle, at Rönninge station, along the path by the tracks, Tallsätravägen, Rosstorpsbacken, and Berga IP.
The police stress that they want to get in touch even with people who do not think they saw anything of particular interest. The purpose is to ensure that no witness statements are missing and to reconstruct what happened that night as far as possible.
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“It may be that people think their observations are not needed since someone has already been arrested, but everyone’s testimony is important,” the police write.