FBI searches NASA scientist's home, property in California as part of 27-year cold case
A cold case that's captivated Northern California for 27 years took federal officials to Redwood City this week for a continued search into the disappearance of Ylva Hagner, a Stanford University student missing since 1996.
On Wednesday, FBI agents and evidence technicians visited Stulsaft Park and a nearby home to search for evidence, according to media reports. Video and photos taken showed them removing stones in the yard of the home and preparing to dig.
Hagner, a 42-year-old native of Sweden, was reported missing in October 1996 after disappearing from work in Belmont, a city in San Mateo County.
“The case has been refocused and we are conducting an investigation in Redwood City into the whereabouts of Ylva Hagner,” Belmont Police Department Lt. Peter Lotti told CBS News.
Neither the Belmont police nor the San Mateo District Attorney's Office could immediately be reached by USA TODAY Friday.
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The FBI’s San Francisco office referred questions to Belmont police, the Mercury News reported.
“The FBI is assisting the Belmont (Police Department) today in an investigation in which they are the lead investigative agency,” the FBI said in a statement. “At this time we are providing forensic support with our evidence response team.”
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Thomas Pressburger, who was dating Hagner at the time of her disappearance, owns the home where the search took place and purchased it about seven months before she went missing, the outlet reported.
According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Pressburger is a Computer Scientist at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.
Hanger last seen at the office
Hagner, who lived in Palo Alto when she disappeared, was last seen on Oct. 14, 1996 at her place of employment at Ixos Software Company.
Her car was found in nearby San Carlos less than a mile from her office.
A company official filed missing-person report two days later after Hagner failed to make several appointments and missed a class at Stanford.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NASA scientist's home searched by FBI as part of 27-year cold case
