Jennifer Fairgate case

Unidentified decedent Jennifer Fairgate
Status	Unidentified for 30 years and 6 days
Died	Oslo, Norway
Cause of death	Gunshot
Body discovered	3 June 1995
Other names	Jennifer Fergate

In May 1995, a woman using the alias Jennifer Fairgate (and misspelt as Jennifier Fergate) checked into Oslo's Plaza Hotel (now the Radisson Blu Plaza). Seventy hours later, she was found dead in her room with a 9mm pistol in her hand and a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities ruled her death as a suicide.

Her death sparked speculation across social media and inspired documentaries, many veering into conspiracy but despite exhaustive investigations, her identity remains unknown, and the case closed.

Background

Arrival at the Oslo Plaza Hotel

On 31 May 1995, at approximately 22:44, a woman registered at the Oslo Plaza Hotel under the name Jennifer Fairgate, although she misspelled the alias twice on hotel forms as "Fergate". She claimed to be 21 years old, provided a false address in Verlaine, Belgium and stated that a man named Lois Fairgate would accompany her. Despite hotel procedures, she was not asked for identification or provide a credit card during registration.

Fairgate was described as elegant, well-dressed and composed. Witnesses reported that she spoke fluent English and German with no discernible accent. Her check-in was unremarkable, aside from the absence of her companion, who was never seen by hotel staff.

Fairgate was assigned room 2805 on the 28th floor, and her behaviour throughout her stay was inconspicuous, with minimal interaction with hotel staff. During her stay, she consumed three soft drinks and a bag of potato crisps from the minibar.

On the evening of 2 June 1995, Fairgate attempted two international calls from her hotel room to Belgium. The numbers differed by one digit, and were directed to the Seraing and Grâce-Hollogne areas, consistent with the location she gave when she checked-in. The calls did not connect, and no recipient was identified.

Timeline

Between Thursday 1 June and Friday 2 June, Jennifer Fairgate keycard records indicate that the room was accessed at 00:21 and 08:34 on 1 June, and at 08:50 and 11:03 on 2 June. Based on these entries and statements from housekeeping staff, she was absent from her room between 12:34 on 1 June and 08:50 on 2 June.

She placed a room service order for bratwurst with potato salad, which was delivered at 20:23 on 2 June by hotel maid Kristin Andersen, who recalled the event due to receiving a tip of 50 NOK (approximately $8, or around $15.45 in 2025). Andersen reported no unusual behaviour during the interaction, which was the last confirmed sighting of Fairgate.

Between Thursday 1 June and Saturday 3 June, hotel staff made three attempts to contact Fairgate via the in-room television messaging system, requesting that she report to the reception desk due to outstanding charges of 2,950 NOK (approximately $466, or around $1,910 in 2025). The final message was sent at 19:36 on 3 June and was acknowledged with someone pressing the confirmation button on the remote control, indicating a physical presence in the room.

After this acknowledgement, at 19:50, a receptionist was sent to her room and noticed a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. Security was alerted, and a guard knocked before reportedly hearing a muffled gunshot. He left the area unattended to fetch the head of hotel security, who entered the room at 20:04 and discovered Fairgate’s body. The door had been double-locked from the inside, with no signs of forced entry and both key cards were in the room.

Police arrived approximately 50 minutes later.

Discovery of the body

Fairgate’s body was discovered lying on the bed, with a gunshot wound to the forehead and a 9mm Browning pistol, in her right hand. She was still holding the weapon, with her thumb on the trigger and her other fingers clasped around the rear of the grip, her hand was resting on her chest.

The crime scene report states:

The right thumb of the corpse lay against the trigger, which was thus held in the posterior/fired position. When the weapon was released from the corpse’s hand, a ‘click’ could be heard as the trigger moved towards the forward position. Blood spatter was found on the pillow, telephone, bedside table, and the wall extending up to the ceiling.

She was dressed entirely in black: a long blouse, bra, silk tap pants, stockings, and Italian-made heeled shoes. On her right middle finger, she wore a gold ring; on her left wrist, a Citizen Aqualand diving watch, model CQ-1021-50, which had its batteries replaced in March 1995. The Browning pistol had its serial number partially removed, denying traceability. A black Braun Büffel attaché case in the room contained 25 rounds of 9mm ammunition, with a further seven rounds in the pistol’s magazine.

In the room was a nearly empty bottle of men’s Ungaro Pour L’Homme I, cologne, a turquoise-green travel bag from the German manufacturer TraveLite, containing three bras, tights and a top. A sleeveless blouse, grey coat and a women’s blazer from the German manufacturer René Lezard were hung in the room’s wardrobe, with a cotton jumper and a long, black leather jacket, placed on the luggage shelf. All clothing labels had been removed except for one on the blazer. Notably, there was an absence of clothing for the lower half of the body, with no skirts, leggings or trousers, and only the underwear she was wearing.

Amongst the items on the desk was a plastic newspaper bag containing an edition of USA Today, addressed to room 2816, located on the opposite end of the hallway from 2805. Investigators also found a fingerprint on the bag, which they were unable to identify.

No identification documents such as a passport or wallet nor any personal items like a toothbrush, toiletries or keys were recovered.

Investigation

Investigators determined that two shots had been fired and two spent cartridge casings were recovered. In addition to the fatal head wound, a second bullet, passed through a pillow and bedding before embedding in the floor without striking the victim. The same pillow was then turned over and was beneath the victim’s head when the fatal shot was fired. The gunshot wound to her forehead indicated a close-range shot, with the bullet’s trajectory showing it was fired while she was lying on her back.

Samples from the skin of both hands revealed no trace of gunshot residue, blood spatter or singeing, and there were no defensive wounds.

The deceased was estimated to have been between 21 and 35 years of age, a white female of European descent, approximately 159 cm tall and weighing an estimated 67 kg. She had short black hair, possibly dyed, and blue eyes. No distinguishing marks or unique physical features were recorded. She had relatively expensive dental work, consistent with practices found in the United States, Switzerland, and Germany. Toxicology showed no alcohol in her blood, but no tests were conducted for drugs. Fingerprints and a DNA profile were obtained post-mortem, but no matches were found in police databases.

Theories

From the outset, investigators faced significant challenges in determining Jennifer Fairgate’s identity and unravelling the events leading to her death. The absence of personal effects, her fabricated address, the removal of identifying labels, and the pistols' illegible serial number have all fuelled speculation about her identity and the circumstances surrounding her death.

Suicide

Due to the lack of evidence of a struggle, her room door being double-locked from the inside with no sign of forced entry and the discovery of the pistol in her hand, Norwegian police ruled Jennifer Fairgate’s death a suicide with "99.9% certainty". However, the absence of gunshot residue or blood on her hands, the pistol’s "awkward" placement and the extra ammunition, have led to questioning this conclusion.

Murder

Proponents argue that external parties may have staged the scene to appear as a suicide and suggest she was killed by someone she knew. Hotel records show she registered a guest under the name Lois Fairgate. However, he never surfaced during investigations and only her fingerprints were found on the pistol and cartridges.

Espionage

Fairgate’s use of an alias and possession of a tactical watch, associated with military use, has fuelled speculation of Cold War espionage. Norwegian intelligence officer Ola Kaldager told Unsolved Mysteries that the removal of clothing tags and her language fluency, were consistent with intelligence tradecraft.

Others suspect Norway’s E 14 security service, noting her check-in without ID, a guard leaving after hearing a gunshot, and the swift suicide ruling.

Firearm accident

A proposed scenario is accidental death due to weapon mishandling, but this has never gained traction beyond rehashing the official stance.

Summary of theories

Each theory faces strong counterarguments: homicide lacks evidence of another person, espionage is undermined by the absence of documents or leaks. A plausible scenario for the weapon's mutilated serial number is that it was acquired through the black market, rather than a spy "ghost gun", and language fluency is common in Europe. Without evidence, the case remains with the formal verdict of suicide.

Funeral

On 26 June 1996, the unidentified woman known as "Jennifer Fairgate" was buried in an unmarked pauper's grave at Vestre Gravlund cemetery, Oslo. Only the undertakers were in attendance, and there was no headstone.

2016 exhumation

In November 2016, her remains were exhumed in the hope that advances in DNA analysis since the original investigation may assist in an identification. Investigators were able to construct a good DNA profile, which suggests that the woman was most likely of European descent, but not Scandinavian.

In media

Fairgate's story gained international attention after the 2020 Netflix episode of Unsolved Mysteries, Death in Oslo. The episode sparked renewed interest among amateur sleuths, prompting widespread speculation across forums, blogs, and podcasts, which offer little beyond recycled theories and unverified claims.

Descriptions, artistic and photographic reconstructions have been publicised, and investigators have focused on her reported hometown of Verlaine, all without success. No credible individual has come forward to identify the unnamed woman known as "Jennifer Fairgate", and the case remains closed, officially considered a suicide.

See also

• 1995 in Norway
• Isdal Woman
• Unidentified decedent