Relative relieved after Saara Arva found with Mika Moring

A relative of Saara Arva said it was a relief to learn she was alive after police located her with Mika Moring, Yle reported. The relative was testifying on Monday at the Northern Savonia District Court, where Moring is charged with Arva’s manslaughter and aggravated deprivation of liberty.

The relative said it was highly unusual for Arva to go months without contacting her family. Arva had normally been in touch every week.

“I thought two normal people were travelling,” the relative told the court. The relative was not concerned that Arva was with Moring and did not know about his criminal history.

Arva left on a trip with Moring in April 2019. A missing-person report was filed in May, and police reached Arva by phone while she was with Moring.

The relative later sent messages to Moring’s phone asking whether he knew anything about Arva. Moring replied that Arva had been seen in Helsinki at the railway station and in Kurvi, as well as in Tikkurila in Vantaa. The relative said they had been foolish to believe him, but felt somewhat reassured that Arva was somewhere and safe.

Arva did not have a phone, which the relative described as highly unusual. Moring has said that Arva’s phone had been stolen and that she was allowed to use his phone and contact her family freely.

Moring also said Arva had forbidden him from disclosing her whereabouts. According to his account, he replied to messages from Arva’s relatives and acquaintances with whatever came to mind. The prosecution is seeking a prison sentence of nine and a half to ten years, arguing that Moring controlled Arva and prevented her from maintaining contact.

Moring denies the charges. His hearing began last Thursday and continues throughout this week, with further witnesses due to testify on Tuesday.

Yle is not publishing the relative’s identity to protect their privacy. Moring has previously been convicted of several violent and sexual offences against women and is serving a multi-year prison sentence. The Helsinki Court of Appeal sentenced him to six years in prison in December 2025, while the Turku Court of Appeal gave him a prison sentence of more than two years in June 2024 for rape, assault and deprivation of liberty.