Relatives challenge police refusal to reopen 1973 crash case

Relatives of the late Kristinn Haukur Jóhannesson have appealed a decision by the Westfjords police commissioner not to reopen an investigation into his alleged death in a traffic accident in Óshlíð, a steep and rocky slope between Bolungarvík and Hnífsdalur, in September 1973, mbl.is reports.

The relatives submitted new evidence to police earlier this summer, including images of the car Kristinn was allegedly travelling in when it went down Óshlíð. They say the images show that the vehicle was far less damaged than would be expected if it had rolled three times down the slope, as the police commissioner has maintained.

They also argue that the roof on the driver’s side is completely intact, making three rolls impossible. The new photographs show the car’s left side more clearly than any previous images, according to the relatives.

In a letter in July, Westfjords Police Commissioner Helgi Jensson rejected the request, saying the chances of reopening the case were very limited. He said new evidence or information would have to exist that had not previously been included in the case file.

Jensson said the new images did not add anything to the existing evidence and showed the same or similar details as several other photographs already in the file. He also noted that police had not received the original photographs, only images of those photographs, and said their evidential value was therefore uncertain.

The relatives say they told the police officer leading the review where the originals could be found, in the possession of the driver’s brother. They believe police failed to obtain them.

The driver and the other passenger reportedly escaped the crash without injury. According to the police investigation conducted in 1973, none of the three people in the car was wearing a seat belt.

The relatives have appealed the decision and are calling for an independent prosecutor. They also question how the case has been handled and ask where the marks from the alleged three rolls can be found on the vehicle.

In 2021, the relatives requested that the case be reopened, arguing that the original investigation had been inadequate. The Westfjords police commissioner rejected that request, and the relatives appealed to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who twice returned the case to the Westfjords for further consideration.

The police commissioner closed the case again in summer 2024. The Director of Public Prosecutions then upheld that decision. In the meantime, Kristinn Haukur’s remains had been exhumed for further investigation.