New DNA method could solve 25-year-old murder mystery of Conny Svendsen

In the study of Kent Clemmensen hangs the last photograph ever taken of Conny Birgitte Svendsen. This photo was found on her camera roll by the police, after she was discovered murdered in her apartment in Rønne in 1997. Kent Clemmensen, Svendsen’s younger brother by 23 years, misses her deeply.

The killer of Conny Svendsen was never found in the case, which is now over a quarter of a century old. However, Bornholms Police have now announced that they will attempt to identify the perpetrator using the same method that was used in the case of the murder of Hanne With on New Year’s Eve 1990.

The culprit in that case was found after 34 years with the help of a DNA method called familial searching. With this new method, the police have the ability to search for close relatives in their own register, which contains people who have given DNA in connection with being convicted or charged in a case that could result in more than 18 months in prison.

The new approach means that a DNA match no longer needs to be a one-to-one match, but that one can also be detected if, for example, their sibling appears in the police register.

Kent Clemmensen, while hopeful, is cautious about the likelihood of this new method leading to a breakthrough in the case. He often looks up at his sister’s picture and thinks that they will somehow find out who did it, a thought he has held for 27 years now.

The family of Conny Svendsen has been seeking answers to many questions for 27 years. If they can finally close the case, they can stop living in the past. Clemmensen compares it to a wound that forms a scab but never fully heals.

Conny Birgitte Svendsen was last seen alive on the evening of August 31, 1997, after she had been out with some friends. The police believe she was assaulted, beaten, and strangled. She was found dead in her bed by her employer, who could not understand why she had not shown up for work the next day.

The police found DNA on some cigarette butts and created a full DNA profile. Despite the case being reopened several times, the perpetrator was not found. Clemmensen’s greatest wish is for the perpetrator to be found, as it would finally answer the two major questions that affect all relatives of a murder case: who did it and why.