A new Netflix release hailed ‘the best true crime drama in years’ is based on a chilling, real-life story.
The four-part Swedish series is explores the murder of a woman and a child in Linköping which sparked the second-largest criminal investigation in the country’s history.
The incident occurred in 2004, and eventually the case went cold as there was no clear motive or suspect.
It wasn’t until 16 years later that a genealogist made some progress in solving the murders.
Netflix subscribers have taken to social media after binge-watching the series, heaping praise on its ‘truly riveting’ storytelling, while on IMDb, some viewers have rated the series 10/10.
Titled The Breakthrough, it’s based on the book of the same name by journalist Anna Bodin and the genealogist Peter Sjölund.
The rest of the article contains some major spoilers for the Netflix series.
What’s the true story behind The Breakthrough?
Linköping was rocked when Mohammed Ammouri, 8, and Anna-Lena Svensson, 56, were both found stabbed to death on the morning of October 19, 2004.
It was reported that Mohammed was on his way to school while Anna-Lena was on her way to work when they were brutally murdered.
Police called to the scene found Anna-Lena had been stabbed in the stomach. She was rushed to hospital where she later died during emergency surgery, reports The Local Sweden.
Mohammed, who was found nearby with a cut to his throat, was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.
The attacker, who was thought to have used a butterfly knife as a murder weapon, managed to remain anonymous and evaded police for 16 years.
Witnesses told police the suspect, who was thought to be in his early 20s, ‘did not run but strolled away’ from the scene.
It was later established that Mohammed was stabbed first, then Anna-Lena when she had seen what had happened.
How was the suspect found?
The passing of a 2019 DNA legislation is what ultimately led the attacker to be apprehended.
Police were able to search for DNA matches on genealogy websites, so the case was reopened with the help of genealogists.
Thousands of people were tested and interviewed, pointing investigators in the direction of the killer’s family tree.
In 2020, authorities revealed that they’d identified the killer after his DNA ‘matched 100 percent’ against their records, according to The Guardian.
Daniel Nyqvist, then 37, was identified as the killer, making him 21 when he carried out the violent attack.
Nyqvist confessed to the double murders the same day as he was arrested.
In court, he said the two murders were unprovoked and blamed ‘voices’ that ‘told him he needed to kill someone’.
In October that year, Nyqvist was found guilty of Mohammed and Anna-Lena’s murders and sentenced to ‘psychiatric care indefinitely’.
As of October 2024, he is at Regional Clinic in Vadstena under ‘forensic psychiatric care’, as per Nyheter24.
Nyqvist has since reportedly changed his name.
The Breakthrough is available to stream now on Netflix.
