A Finnish-Swedish family with eight children has been missing for over a year and is now internationally wanted. The parents, Karoliina and Tommy Karf, are suspected of severe child abduction. Despite numerous tips, the family's whereabouts remain unknown, and authorities suspect they may be hiding in a Nordic country.
International Manhunt for Missing Eight-Child Family
International Manhunt for Missing Eight-Child Family
A Finnish-Swedish family with eight children has been missing for over a year and is now internationally wanted. The parents, Karoliina and Tommy Karf, have been detained in absentia, suspected of severe child abduction, according to Finnish media reports.
Karoliina and Tommy Karf disappeared on May 15 last year with their seven children, born between 2007 and 2021. Since then, an eighth child has been born while the family has remained missing, according to Finnish Yle.
The parents had long been in conflict with authorities, and the children were under the care of child protection services when the parents took them without permission, causing the large Finnish-Swedish family to vanish in a van.
"Deep Distrust of Society"
The parents' motives are unclear, but they wanted to homeschool their children for ideological and religious reasons, avoiding societal influence, according to Yle. They also filed numerous complaints against authorities over the years.
"It reflects a deep distrust of society and its operations. Where does their distrust come from?" writes Yle.
A European arrest warrant was issued on Friday, enabling an international search and intensified cooperation with authorities in other countries, according to the police in Ostrobothnia, Finland.
In early July, the Ostrobothnia District Court detained the parents in absentia. They are suspected of severe child abduction.
No Crucial Leads
The police receive daily tips about the family's possible location, but no decisive clues have emerged.
"All tips are carefully reviewed to assess their relevance. We continue to hope the public will share information that can help locate the family," says lead investigator Tony Rauma in a press release.
The family lived in an old, simple log house in the municipality of Pedersöre in Ostrobothnia before they disappeared. The children were homeschooled. A neighbor filed a concern report about the children last winter because they were never seen playing outside, writes Hufvudstadsbladet.
Police Cars and Ambulances
A few days after the report, there was a significant commotion at the cottage when police cars, ambulances, and civilian vehicles arrived with personnel to take the children into care.
According to a court protocol, the removal was not due to deficiencies in homeschooling but due to neglect and inadequate healthcare, writes Hufvudstadsbladet.
The suspicions against the parents involve abuse and abduction.
"No physical violence has occurred anywhere," says the parents' legal representative Robert Slotte to Yle.
Could Be Hiding in a Nordic Country
He says the family disappeared because authorities planned to place the children in different locations around Finland.
Given the size of the family, which requires resources to support, the police believe some kind of "support network" may have formed around the family, keeping them hidden with the help of acquaintances. The police suspect the Karf family is hiding in Finland or another Nordic country.