Episode Overview

Podcast: Scams, Money, & Murder
Episode: The Oslo Plaza Woman | Conspiracy Theories, Cults, and Crimes
Host: Vanessa Richardson
Release Date: December 25, 2025

This episode dives into one of Europe's most perplexing and haunting unsolved mysteries: The 1995 death of the unidentified "Oslo Plaza Woman," found dead under enigmatic circumstances in Norway's luxury Plaza Hotel. Vanessa Richardson pulls together decades of investigation, conspiracy theories, and renewed journalistic inquiry to unravel the layers of secrecy surrounding this untraceable woman's death, exploring whether she was hiding, being hunted, or both.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Discovery and Initial Investigation

• Incident Recap [03:10 – 07:30]

  • June 3, 1995, Oslo, Norway: A woman, pseudonym "Jennifer Fairgate," found dead in her luxury hotel room (Room 2805).
  • She registered under a false name, gave no ID, and her clothes were stripped of any labels (04:22).
  • No credit card or passport provided; the address she gave in Belgium didn't exist.
  • “Every possible path to identification had been cut off or led nowhere.” – Vanessa Richardson [04:27]
  • The only clues were her body and a meticulously erased trail.

• Strange Crime Scene Details [07:32 – 14:01]

  • Death appeared to be suicide at first—gunshot wound to the forehead, 9mm pistol in hand.
  • Forensics contradicted suicide:
    • No gunshot residue on her hands.
    • Gun had serial number professionally removed.
    • Hands clean and posed; gun not held naturally.
    • No fingerprints anywhere on weapon or in room.
    • Almost no belongings in the room—clothes’ labels missing, no toiletries, missing suitcase.

• Fake Identity & Elusive Background [14:04 – 16:11]

  • Two names on hotel registration: “Jennifer Fairgate” and “Lois Fairgate,” but no record of either.
  • Checks with Belgian authorities were dead ends—no such people or address.
  • No fingerprint or Interpol matches.

2. Early Theories & Official Ruling

• Murder or Suicide? [17:10 – 20:00]

  • Official verdict eventually: suicide. Despite inconsistencies, police closed the case after a year.
  • Journalists and conspiracy theorists speculated more sinister causes.

• Speculative Motives [20:04 – 25:45]

  • Was she a criminal (smuggler), a high-end escort, a spy, or an assassin?
  • "Taken all together, detectives reasoned that Jennifer was either a criminal or a spy.” – Vanessa Richardson [19:17]
  • Odd details—25 rounds of ammunition, military-grade pistol, yet nothing tying her to any network.
  • The apparent staging and removal of personal effects gave rise to further suspicion.

3. Investigative Journalism: Lars Kristen Wegner

• First Journalist to the Case [25:45 – 32:27]

  • Lars Kristen Wegner, a Norwegian journalist, covered the story after the woman’s lonely funeral.
  • “They were the loneliest images he’d ever seen. The first was of the church. A casket stood beside an empty pulpit, rows of empty seats before it.” – Vanessa Richardson [29:12]
  • Wegner’s article and a commissioned sketch of Jennifer’s possible appearance failed to attract new leads.

• A Cold Case Revisited (2015–2017) [32:28 – 40:00]

  • 20 years later, Wegner revisits the investigation with better resources and Oslo police cooperation.
  • Digging deeper into hotel logs, missing items, and staff testimony:
    • Keycards: Jennifer received four, but only two were found, suggesting someone else entered/left and locked the room.
    • Old witnesses recall seeing Jennifer with a man (possibly “Lois”), but details are fuzzy after decades.
    • Housekeeper remembered seeing a pair of shoes not among the belongings recovered, hinting at items removed post-mortem.

4. Critical Evidence and Lost Opportunities

• Forensic Setbacks [40:01 – 45:10]

  • Police destroyed much of the forensic evidence after closing the case.
  • Only the gun remained, preserved for training due to the expert removal of its serial number.
  • New forensic attempts with modern technology still couldn’t retrieve the serial number.

• Exhumation and DNA Advances [45:11 – 48:33]

  • 2016: Jennifer’s body exhumed for DNA analysis.
  • Determined to be of likely German origin, born circa 1971, ~24 years old at death.
  • “Even after more than 20 years, it seemed no one was looking for her. Lars had a hard time believing that in 1996, and it still struck him as odd in 2016.” – Vanessa Richardson [48:19]

5. Spycraft or Something Seedier?

• Intelligence Agency Angle [48:35 – 52:09]

  • Former Norwegian intelligence chief Ulla Kaldager believed Jennifer matched the operational profile of a covert agent:
    • “Removing identifying labels from clothing items was standard procedure for spies operating in Norway.” – Vanessa Richardson [49:13]
    • She may have had a safe house, was trained to evade detection, and her family might have been secretly notified—explaining the lack of a missing persons report.

• Alternative Theories [52:10 – 57:21]

  • Online sleuths suspect she was a high-end sex worker; missing clothing, multiple bras, and a rolling suitcase add to suspicions.

  • A suspicious neighbor, the elusive "Mr. F" (a Belgian man in the adjoining room), showed odd knowledge of the timeline and refused further comment under journalistic inquiry.

  • “For Lars, this was incredibly suspicious because Jennifer wasn’t found until that night.” – Vanessa Richardson [56:41]

6. Enduring Mystery and Legacy

• Recent Media and Ongoing Fascination [57:22 – 59:15]

  • Wegner published a new feature in 2017, spurring further documentaries and a Netflix "Unsolved Mysteries" episode.

  • Vanessa concludes by emphasizing the case’s enduring resonance and the humanity lost in these cold mysteries.

  • “Whether that’s because Jennifer didn’t want to be found, or someone else was determined to keep her death shrouded in mystery, it’s hard to say. But in the end, everyone deserved to be remembered. And Jennifer Fairgate, whoever she was, will never be forgotten.” – Vanessa Richardson [59:06]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Erasure:
  “Every possible path to identification had been cut off or led nowhere.”
  – Vanessa Richardson [04:27]

• On the lonely burial:
  “They were the loneliest images he’d ever seen. The first was of the church. A casket stood beside an empty pulpit, rows of empty seats before it.”
  – Vanessa Richardson [29:12]

• On the suicide ruling:
  “Despite all the evidence to the contrary, they ruled that Jennifer had died by suicide.”
  – Vanessa Richardson [19:58]

• On the intelligence theory:
  “Removing identifying labels from clothing items was standard procedure for spies operating in Norway.”
  – Vanessa Richardson [49:13]

• On Mr. F’s odd response:
  “For Lars, this was incredibly suspicious because Jennifer wasn’t found until that night.”
  – Vanessa Richardson [56:41]

• Closing thought:
  “But in the end, everyone deserved to be remembered. And Jennifer Fairgate, whoever she was, will never be forgotten.”
  – Vanessa Richardson [59:06]

Key Timeline & Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|--------------------------------------------| | 00:00–03:10 | Episode intro & background setup | | 03:10–07:30 | The unidentified body and erasing identity | | 07:32–14:01 | Crime scene details & inconsistencies | | 14:04–16:11 | Fake identities and dead-end searches | | 17:10–19:58 | Movements toward suicide ruling | | 20:04–25:45 | Early speculation: spy, escort, criminal | | 25:45–32:27 | Journalist Lars Wegner’s first investigation | | 32:28–45:10 | The 2015 case review, missing items, keycards| | 45:11–48:33 | Exhumation & new forensic evidence | | 48:35–52:09 | Espionage theory & expert consultation | | 52:10–57:21 | Escort theory, Mr. F neighbor, suspicions | | 57:22–59:15 | Modern coverage, emotional reflection |

Conclusion

This episode of Scams, Money, & Murder offers a thorough, atmospheric journey through the Oslo Plaza Woman mystery—an enigma of erased identity, elusive evidence, and haunting speculation. Vanessa Richardson deftly assembles police findings, journalistic legwork, and internet theories into a compelling narrative, inviting listeners to ponder: Was she hiding, or being hidden? And most of all—who was “Jennifer Fairgate”?