Norwegian tycoon cleared in wife's vanishing case

Norwegian authorities have closed the case against Tom Hagen a real-estate mogul‚ who was under suspicion for his wifes disappearance roughly six years ago. The police spokeswoman‚ Vibeke Schøyen‚ stated at a news conference (broadcasted on Norwegian media) that there isnt evidence linking Hagen to his wifes vanishing

Anne-Elizabeth Falkevik Hagen‚ aged 68 disappeared from the couples home in Loerenskog east of Oslo on 10/31/2018. Initially‚ police thought it was an abduction‚ but in 04/2020 they arrested Tom Hagen on his way to work‚ saying suspicions against him “have gradually been strengthened“. However‚ he was released in 05/2020 due to lack of evidence

The investigation was extensive – police conducted nearly 700 interviews gathered more than 26‚000 tips obtained over 6‚000 hours of video surveillance and carried out extensive technical investigations. Schøyen described it as “one of the most important projects we have carried out in recent years“

Hagenʼs lawyer‚ Svein Holden‚ declared: “This is a total acquittal of Tom Hagen“. The case had captivated Norway (a country of 5.3 million people with low homicide rates)

There is no evidence that Tom Hagen was involved in his wifeʼs disappearance

Initially‚ a ransom was demanded for Falkevik Hagenʼs release – reportedly 9 million euros in cryptocurrency. Police released security videos of men walking near Hagenʼs workplace after his wifes disappearance. They also searched the couples home and a nearby pond

In 06/2019‚ police changed their main hypothesis due to lack of signs that Falkevik Hagen was alive or any recent contact with alleged kidnappers. They now believe she was killed and “cannot exclude a staged kidnapping to hide it“

Despite dropping the case against Tom Hagen‚ police stress that the investigation remains open with three unidentified suspects. Hagen‚ who built his fortune in real estate since 1978‚ has consistently claimed his innocence