MUS-2026-0094
Archive card
MUS-2026-0094
Homicide
- Incident
- 1996
- Indexed
- Oct 5, 2026, by MuseUnsolved
- Agency
- Boston Police Department
- Location
- Boston MA
Public record. Index entry.
Index entry. Case details compiled from public reporting; our researchers have not verified this file yet.
Summary
What happened, as the record shows.
Karina Holmer, 20, a Swedish au pair visiting Boston on lottery winnings, was strangled and dismembered with a saw after a night at the Zanzibar nightclub in June 1996. Her upper torso was found in a Back Bay dumpster; the lower half of her body was never recovered. The only physical evidence reported was an unidentified partial fingerprint. There have been no arrests in 30 years.
Timeline
What the record establishes.
- 1996
Holmer arrives in Boston on lottery winnings in March 1996.
- 1996
She is last seen intoxicated outside the Zanzibar nightclub around 3:00 a.m. on June 21, 1996.
- 1996
On June 23 her severed upper torso is found in a dumpster at 1091 Boylston Street.
- 2026
No arrests in 30 years. The case remains unsolved.
Key people
The people in the file.
20, Swedish au pair. Killed in Boston in June 1996; only her upper torso was recovered.
Contact details change over time; confirm the current assignee before publishing.
Investigating agency
Where tips go.
This case is with the Boston Police Department. If you know something, say something to them. For public-record leads for our researchers, use the tip line on any open file.
Coverage
Coverage and further reading.
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