Inventor claims he dumped Swedish journalist's body after she died in 'accident' on his self-built submarine
The inventor who was the last person to see missing Swedish journalist Kim Wall after she vanished while taking a submarine trip for an article has changed his story, claiming he dumped her body in the sea after she died in an accident on his vessel.
The 30-year-old, who has written for several respected international publications, was last seen on Mr Madsen's submarine on the night of 10 August.
Peter Madsen, 46, previously claimed they both escaped the submarine, which sank, alive, but now says she died onboard so he "buried her at sea", according to Danish police.
Mr Masden, who has been accused of negligent manslaughter, "told police and the court that there was an accident on board the sub that led to the death of Kim Wall, and that he subsequently buried her at sea in an undefined location of the Koge Bay" south of Copenhagen, police said in a statement.
The court case is taking place behind closed doors but the police revealed the inventor's explanation after a request from the defence and prosecution.
Danish authorities have been searching for Wall, a 30-year-old reporter who had been writing a feature story about Madsen, since she failed to return from an interview with him aboard the 60-foot (18-metre) Nautilus.
He was rescued by a private motorboat after his submarine sank and he swam to safety.
The inventor, who is famous in his home county of Denmark for building the submarine, had set off with Ms Wall on the Thursday evening from Copenhagen's Refshale Island.
His submarine had not returned by the early hours of Friday morning, so a search commenced and he was arrested after Ms Wall was not seen on shore.
Police now believe she is dead and are searching for her body.
The effort, which involves divers, helicopters and ships, has been under way along the route the submarine took since Friday.
The journalist was born in Sweden and studied at the London School of Economics, Columbia University in New York and the Sorbonne in Paris.
She divided her time between New York and Beijing and had written for the New York Times, Time Magazine and the Guardian.
Mr Madsen appeared calm during an interview with Danish television shortly after the submarine sank, saying: “I am fine, but sad because Nautilus went down.”
He said there had been a problem with a ballast tank that “turned into a major issue”.
Nautilus, named after the ship from the classic science fiction novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, was built by Mr Madsen after raising $200,000 (£154,000) online.
