In April of 2008, 10-year-old Engla Hoglund was at soccer practice in Stjarnsund, Sweden. After practice, she set off for home on her bicycles, just as she normally did. Concerned about her daughter, Engla’s mother had given her a cell phone in case of emergencies. When young Engla didn’t return home on time, her mother called her but got no answer. Worried, she set off in search of her daughter, eventually finding her bicycle thrown into the woods. She immediately contacted the police and a search was begun. Meanwhile, amateur photographer Tomas Langton (pictured above) was excited to try out his new digital camera. Since it was such a nice day, he decided to go for a walk and snap some pictures. As fate would have it, he took this picture of Engla riding home:
Less than a minute later, he took this picture of a red Saab following behind her.
At the time, Tomas thought nothing of it, but once the news about the missing girl hit the news, Tomas stepped forward and offered the photos to the police. The photo led back to Anders Eklund, the owner of the red Saab 900. He was arrested and brought in for questioning. Having already been reported in connection with a killing in 2000, he immediately became a suspect. Just eight days after the disappearance of Engla Hoglund, Anders Eklund admitted to her murder and told detectives where to find her body. He was found guilty in October 2008 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Without those two well-timed pictures, he may never have been caught.
