Shraman Mitra
Losing a daughter to a gruesome and thoughtless murder brings unimaginable pain to the parents. Journalist Kim Wall’s parents were forced to face such demons when Kim went missing on August 10, 2017. She had landed an interview with Peter Madsen, the inventor of the homemade submarine, UC3 Nautilus, and was supposed to meet him on board the craft. However, she never returned from her interview, leading to a homicide that would terrify Copenhagen for months.
HBO’s ‘Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall’ chronicles her disappearance and shows how the incident affected the parents of the fierce Swedish journalist. Let’s dive into the details of the case and find out where Kim’s parents are at present, shall we?
Who Are Kim Wall’s Parents?
On March 23, 1987, Kim Wall was born to Ingrid and Joachim Wall in Trelleborg, Sweden. Growing up in a tight-knit family alongside a younger sibling, Kim developed an excellent relationship with her parents, a bond she treasured until her last day. Ingrid was a renowned and celebrated journalist in Denmark, and Joachim made a living as a photojournalist, making them the biggest inspirations in Kim’s life. The couple was also incredibly proud of their daughter and her accomplishments as a journalist.
Speaking to the media after Kim’s gruesome murder, her parents mentioned that they did not want her to be remembered as a victim. Instead, they praised the outstanding work she had done and the numerous lives she touched through her profession. At the time of Kim’s murder, she was living in Copenhagen with her boyfriend, Ole Stobbe Nielsen. Ole was the first one who called and informed Ingrid and Joachim about their daughter’s disappearance. The couple ruefully wished it to be a cruel dream, and even the anxiousness in Ole’s voice could not prepare them for the nightmare to come.
In the days that followed, Ingrid and Joachim, along with Ole, tried their best to assist the police investigation into Kim’s disappearance. However, as the days passed without any news, the hope to see Kim alive again began dwindling. Ultimately, between the days of August 21 and November 29, authorities were able to recover parts of Kim’s dismembered body. She appeared to have been stabbed around the abdomen area, and investigators believed that Peter Madsen, the man Kim went to interview, either slashed her throat or strangled her to death.
Where Are Kim Wall’s Parents Now?
Once Kim Wall’s disappearance was upped to a homicide, Ingrid and Joachim Wall strove to help law enforcement officers to the best of their abilities. The police were highly efficient in their investigation, and it did not take long for them to arrest and charge Peter Madsen with Kim’s murder. Ingrid and Joachim regularly attended Peter Madsen’s murder trial and heaved a sigh of relief when he was sentenced to prison without the chance of parole in April 2018.
Although Peter’s conviction gave Ingrid and Joachim a temporary relief, nothing could fill the vacuum left by Kim’s sudden and shocking death. However, her parents wanted the world to know how wonderful a person Kim was, and hence, they began talking about her and their experience through various publications and talk shows. On November 9, 2018, they published a book in Kim’s memories titled ‘Boken om Kim Wall: När orden tar slut’ (‘The book of Kim Wall: When words end’). The book was later translated into English by Kathy Saranpa under the title ‘A Silenced Voice: The Life of Journalist Kim Wall.’
Additionally, her parents even helped in the making of the HBO series ‘The Investigation,’ hoping that the world would focus on Kim as a journalist and not as a murder victim. At present, Ingrid and Joachim still reside in Trelleborg, Sweden, and are still involved in their respective professions. Moreover, as a tribute to their daughter, they started The Kim Wall Fund, which provides grants to promising young journalists whose work embodies all that Kim stood for.
Read More: Where Is Ole Stobbe Nielsen Now?
