Anna-Karin Bengtsson, a 52-year-old Swedish tourist, mysteriously disappeared on Gran Canaria around April 9. She was last seen in person on that day, having checked out of the Abora Buenaventura hotel in Playa del Inglés, where she had gone, it seems, to continue working on her doctoral thesis on special education and textbook writing.
She had gone there the day before and after settling her bill, and spending some time in the hotel lobby, she returned to her family apartment and called her daughter around 4:00 p.m. Her belongings, including her computer, chargers, passport, and ID card, were all later found in her apartment. The family also noticed that her mobile phone was off on April 10.
The search for Bengtsson involved both police and various volunteers. The Swedish missing persons organization, Frivilliga FIKK Sweden, led by Kajsa Berggren, raised several thousand euros to support search operations, which, following unsubstantiated reports that she had been seen in the resort town of Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria included boat searches between Puerto Rico and San Agustín, where she had an apartment, and drone surveillance was also carried out along the southern and western coastlines. Despite these efforts, there was no evidence to suggest that Bengtsson had entered the sea.
Bengtsson had arrived in Gran Canaria on March 31 and spent a significant amount of time at her family’s apartment in Playa del Inglés, working on her doctoral thesis. Her brother, Joakim Axling, emphasised that she would not have vanished willingly. The family was eagerly awaiting information for many weeks about the location of her mobile phone, which had been off since April 10.
Unfortunately, it has been confirmed this week, Anna-Karin Bengtsson was found dead on Gran Canaria.
The details surrounding her death, including the cause and circumstances, have not been disclosed in the available sources. Her brother, Joakim Axling, has expressed the family’s grief and he has taken time to thank everyone who supported them during this difficult situation.
He also confirmed that according to the investigation, Bengtsson appears to have died of natural causes, with no signs of external or self-inflicted violence.
