"Death In Ice Valley is about an investigation into one of the world's most intriguing true crime stories - the mystery of the Isdal woman."
The Isdal woman is the name given to the severely burned body of a woman found in the Isdalen Valley near Bergen, Norway in November 1970. To this day, the identity of the Isdal woman remains unknown.
Many questions about the case, which was investigated by the Bergen police, remain unanswered. Theories lean toward stories of international espionage and a Cold War spy - yet decades have passed and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the Isdal Woman and the official investigation are complex and unresolved.
50 years on and the case (a well-known mystery in Norway) caught the attention of a global audience, thanks to Death In Ice Valley - a production of Norwegian public broadcaster NRK and the BBC World Service, jointly presented by Marit Higraff and Neil McCarthy.
Together, investigative journalist Marit and Neil, a radio documentarian, take listeners along the trail of known sites of the mystery while also pursuing new paths related to clues that emerge from their own investigation and those suggested by amateur web sleuths on social media.
The pair track down former-police officers involved in the initial investigation and find themselves uncovering new lines inquiry, including the use of cutting-edge forensic techniques.
The podcast features wonderfully effective "immersive sound design" by Phil Channel, an award-winning composer and sound designer for film, television and radio.
Marit joins us from her home in Oslo, Norway, for this episode of MetaPod.
Show notes:
About Marit Higraff
Marit Higraff has been working as an investigative journalist for more than 25 years, mainly with the Norwegian public broadcaster, NRK. She has won many awards for her TV documentaries and investigations. Since 2017 she has been cooperating with the BBC World Service on the podcast series Death in Ice Valley and co-hosts the podcast together with BBC’s Neil McCarthy.