Two Oulu police officers suspected of misconduct in missing person case

Two police officers in Oulu are under suspicion for breaching official duties during an internal investigation into the 2020 disappearance of Juha Valkola, Yle reports.

Prosecutors allege the officers committed offences while participating in the police’s own internal review of the case. The pre-trial investigation has concluded, and charges are expected to be considered by autumn 2026.

The suspected misconduct relates specifically to the officers’ actions during the internal review process—not the original missing person investigation. Authorities continue to treat Valkola’s disappearance as a homicide, with the National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) leading the case.

Valkola, last seen on 24 August 2020 at a village shop in Paavola, Siikajoki, left a handwritten note reading “apua” (“help”) before vanishing. Shop staff alerted police, but officers did not intervene in time. The KRP suspects Valkola was killed within 24 hours of his last sighting, following prolonged extortion.

The case gained renewed attention after Yle’s 2025 podcast Viimeinen johtolanka (The Last Clue), which questioned the police response to Valkola’s plea for help.