A woman in her 50s has been detained on suspicion of stealing valuables from patients at Danderyd Hospital over several years. The formal suspicions currently cover three cases of aggravated theft, but police and prosecutors fear the actual number could be significantly higher. Many of the victims describe a deep sense of discomfort and missing jewelry with great sentimental value that disappeared during their stay in care. An 87-year-old woman was robbed while she was dying.

A 53-year-old woman with a non-Western immigrant background has been detained on suspicion of aggravated theft after several thefts targeting patients at Danderyd Hospital, where the woman was employed. According to the detention request reviewed by Samnytt, she is suspected on probable grounds of three cases of aggravated theft: two at the hospital, in 2020 and 2025, and one case in Lidingö.

The prosecutor has also requested that the woman be subjected to restrictions, including to prevent evidence from being destroyed or her continuing her criminal activities. According to the prosecutor, they have focused on cases where the evidence is considered particularly strong.

Suspicions of Significantly More Thefts

Although the current detention only covers three cases, investigations into further suspected thefts are ongoing. Altogether, about 30 unresolved incidents with similar methods are being examined, where patients reported losing genuine gold jewelry – or found it replaced with copies – during their hospital stay.

According to police, the victims are often elderly patients, sometimes seriously ill or unconscious, who, in connection with surgeries or exams, were asked to remove their jewelry. The items were then stored separately, but when returned, some jewelry was missing or replaced with fakes.

The woman has a prior theft conviction, which, according to the prosecutor, increases suspicions that the scope of crime could be more extensive than the cases so far brought to prosecution.

“Stealing from Our Dying Mother Is Absolutely Terrible”

Several affected patients and relatives have shared their experiences with Aftonbladet. One case involves Karin Bergendal’s 87-year-old mother Ulla, who was admitted to the hospital in early January, gravely ill and unconscious.

– Stealing from our dying mother is absolutely terrible, Karin Bergendal said.

Ulla wore a gold necklace that she had owned since her youth. The necklace disappeared sometime between the emergency and the ward. She passed away the next day.

– We knew we were going to lose our mother. She died the next day. It feels horrible to think that she was robbed of her necklace while in that condition. Sometimes I have nightmares about it, her daughter recounted.

Swapped Jewelry and Toy Rings

Another case involves a woman treated at the hospital in 2020. When her relatives later collected her belongings, they did not find her rings, but a toy ring instead.

– Sadly, she died there. And when I picked up her belongings, there was only a toy ring in her bag. It feels awful that she was robbed in a hospital during her last days or after death, her son Tommy said.

93-year-old Maj-Britt Boström has also shared how a necklace she inherited from her mother, a Bismarck chain from the 1930s, disappeared after a hip surgery. Instead, a heavier, fake necklace was in the container with her belongings.

Maj-Britt says she feels as if she betrayed her mother, that it is her fault the necklace will now not continue on in the family.

Relatives: “You’re Completely Helpless”

Several of those affected describe feeling powerless. Many patients were under anesthesia, unconscious, or at the end of life when the thefts are suspected to have occurred.

– You’re completely helpless when you’re sick and trust that your things will be cared for, says one relative who lost a gold bracelet belonging to her grandmother.

All known cases have been reported to the police, but several relatives state they never received any feedback from the hospital.

Investigation Continues

The woman’s defense attorney has declined to comment on her stance toward the suspicions. The investigation now continues to determine if she can be tied to more of the unresolved thefts.

Meanwhile, frustration is growing among those affected and their relatives – many of them are mourning not only lost jewelry but also memories and family heirlooms that can never be replaced.