The Unsolved Mystery of the Swedish Nanny
Karina Holmer was discovered in a dumpster, but only half of her has ever been found.
Boston, Massachusetts in 1996 was a very different city. The Boston Police Department was struggling with youth violence, specifically the use of guns and homicides. The Boston Gun Project Working Group had begun to meet in January 1995, but Operation Ceasefire had only been implemented a year later in January 1996. There were still attacks around the city, but ultimately, the streets were safer, with a significant decline in homicides that year.
Boston was about to become home for Karina Holmer; she’d won $1,500 on a lottery ticket in her native Sweden, enough to get her to America. She was going to see the world, but first, Karina was going to work as an au pair to make some money.
For three months, Karina worked for the Rapp-Nitcher household in Dover, Massachusetts, looking after their two children. Frank was a renowned photographer, and Susan was a famous painter. Karina only worked during the week, cleaning and spending her time with the kids. At the weekends, she was free to do as she pleased and spent a lot of her time at a loft downtown owned by Frank.
Karina was building a life for herself in Dover and even had a few casual boyfriends in the…
