Aahana Swrup
In the Netflix Swedish show ‘The Breakthrough,’ John Sundin leads the crime-centric narrative as he heads a murder investigation for years on end. As such, the seemingly unsolvable double murder grates on his conscience as he repeatedly fails to bring the innocent victims to justice. However, weeks before his department threatens to shut down the case, he comes across Per Skogkvist. The genealogist who specializes in DNA tracking might just be able to help the detective unearth the final piece of the puzzle in his hunt after the killer.
In exploring this true-story-inspired tale, the show equips the lead detective on the case as its protagonist to arm the narrative with an empathetic perspective. Furthermore, it also paves the way for a more in-depth analysis of the riveting technology that ultimately closed the real-life case of Linköping’s 2004 murders. Nevertheless, the slight fictionalizations that the on-screen criminal investigation equips bring the depth of John Sundin’s real-life connection under questioning.
John Sundin is Based on the Chief Investigator in the Linköping Double Homicide
For ‘The Breakthrough,’ the primary source material screenwriter Oskar Söderlund employed is the nonfiction Swedish book written by Anna Bodin and Peter Sjölund. Of the two, the latter is the genealogist whose contribution led to the arrest of Daniel Nyqvist for the 2004 murders of Mohammed Ammouri and Anna-Lena Svensson. Consequently, the show’s base foundation remains intimately tied to reality. Still, it dramatizes the real-life case by equipping a fictionalized lens in order to create a thrilling on-screen narrative about the crime while remaining respectful of the real people affected by the tragedy. For the same reason, Söderlund and his team created John Sundin as a fictionalization of the real-life chief investigator Jan Egon Staaf.
From the get-go, the similarities between John and his off-screen counterpart remain evident. Staaf is a retired Olympic racewalker who competed for Sweden in the 1988 and 1996 Games. In his professional life, the Olympian has been a part of the Swedish police force for a long time. Thus, in 2004, after Mohammed Ammouri and Anna-Lena Svensson’s brutal murders in Linköping on October 19, Staaf was appointed as the chief investigator on the case. As per reports, the detective exhausted several avenues of investigative procedures over the years. In the span of the 16 years that the investigation continued, the authorities reportedly collected around 9000 interrogations and conducted mass DNA screenings of 6000 men and more.
After the initial procurement of evidence, including the murder weapon and the perpetrator’s beanie—effective mines for DNA samples— Staaf and his team unearthed some other leads over the years. Nevertheless, the police were no closer to discovering the killer’s identity. Eventually, in 2019, a new road opened up with the arrest of the American serial killer, Golden State Killer, whose case was cracked with the help of genealogical tracking of DNA. Around the same time, new legislation also made it possible for a pilot project in which the police could use the DNA matches of family members to catch their perpetrators.
Thus, in light of the new development, Staaf and his team opened themselves up to the idea of working with a genealogist to solve the case. Fortunately enough, Peter Sjölund—one of Sweden’s leading genealogists and DNA scientists—reached out to the detective to offer his own expertise. In a matter of five weeks, Sjölund’s research led to the discovery of Daniel Nyqvist, who was identified as the killer behind the 2004 murders. On October 1, 2020, he was convicted of the crime and received a sentence of psychiatric care.
John Sundin is a Slightly Fictional Counterpart of Staaf
Although the connection between Jan Staaf and the on-screen detective John Sundin remains evident, the latter isn’t without his fictionalization. Since John plays such a notable part in ‘The Breakthrough,’ driving the plot forward at every turn, his character needs to be fleshed out in engaging and entertaining ways. For the most part, this manifests as John’s obsessive relationship with the murder case, which, in turn, damages the relationships in his personal life. Furthermore, his character goes down some legally gray routes that add value to the dynamic storytelling but present a departure from Staaf’s real-life investigation.
The details of the distinctions between Staaf’s personal life and the recreation of it through John’s character remain hard to decipher. Nonetheless, it’s fair to assume that the show employs some creative liberties, drawing a distinction between John and Staaf. Still, friends and families of the real-life detective have sported positive reactions to actor Peter Eggers’ on-screen portrayal of Staaf’s fictional counterpart. Consequently, we can conclude that John’s character remains authentic to his original off-screen inspiration despite its occasional departure from reality.
Jan Staaf Continues Serving in the Swedish Police Force
Since bringing the 2004 Linköping murder case to its rightful conclusion, Jan Staaf has remained steady on his path of serving his community through police work. In June 2021, he received a promotion to the post of Commissioner at the Police Authority and has been dedicating himself to the new title in earnest. Recently, he reportedly has been involved in serious criminal cases in Norrköping revolving around rival gangs as the investigation leader.
On the other hand, Staaf has also been a vocal advocate for the incorporation of DNA and genealogy research into police work. As the Sweden Herald reports, the Commissioner supported the same, saying, “As we have seen, this is a fantastic tool for solving the most serious crimes.” Outside of his professional life, Staaf maintains a sense of privacy. Even though he seems to have a presence on social media, he rarely shares updates on his personal affairs.
Read More: The Breakthrough: Is the Netflix Show a True Story?
