Unsolved Mysteries Day 5: The prostitute whose body was drained of all blood

LILLY Lindeström was a prostitute living in the Atlas neighbourhood in Stockholm, Sweden in the 1930s.

The 32-year-old entertained clients in her small, dingy apartment and spent the day of May 4, 1932 working.

That evening, Lilly dropped into her neighbour Minnie’s apartment in search of condoms before returning to her home. She never reappeared.

Lilly was found naked on her bed with all the blood drained from her body

Minnie called Stockholm police to alert them to her friend’s disappearance when she became concerned that her friend wasn’t answering the door.

Upon entering Lilly’s flat, officers discovered a gruesome murder scene.

The victim was face down, naked on her bed with her clothes neatly folded on a chair next to the body.

Police scoured the Atlas neighbourhood but found no clues

It was clear Lilly had been dead for 2 or 3 days and had engaged in sexual activity right before being murdered.

She had been killed by repeated blows to the head but, most shockingly, nearly all of her blood had been drained from her body.

Saliva was found on her neck and police soon began to fear the blood-stained gravy ladle found in her room had been used to drink her blood – giving the killer the ‘Atlas Vampire’ nickname.

Evidence is on show in the Stockholm Police Museum

With the murder taking place years before DNA evidence, investigators were unable to do much despite all the bodily fluids at the scene.

Lilly’s regular clients were questioned and the neighbourhood was searched, but no suspects arose and nobody was ever charged with the murder.

After this, there are no clues, no suspects and the case remains unsolved to this day, with evidence on display at Stockholm’s Police Museum.