HOPTRUP, DENMARK – MARCH 3, 1983 37-year-old Brazilian woman Idalva Fraga Moreira Lauritsen, née Silva, was found dead by her former husband on March 3, 1983, in her apartment at Hoptrup Hovedgade 64 in the Danish village of Hoptrup. The woman was lying naked in bed, and her body showed signs of extremely brutal treatment. The perpetrator had cut off both of her breasts and opened her abdominal cavity, removing her internal organs.
Inside the abdominal cavity, police discovered an empty beer bottle, one of the severed breasts, a large carrot, a considerable amount of toilet paper, and hair from her head. There was also a handle from a kitchen spatula inserted into her vagina. The victim had cuts on both sides of her mouth, and a piece of lemon along with a large amount of hair was found inside her oral cavity. Her right eye had been removed.
Further mutilation was evident in the genital area, where the perpetrator had removed both the labia majora and labia minora. These were found on the bed together with her tongue. The small and large intestines, along with the left kidney, had been placed in a plastic bag beside the bed.
A frying pan containing one of the severed breasts, which the perpetrator had fried, was found on the electric stove. Inside the oven, police discovered a live turtle whose hind limbs had been cut down to the bone. In the freezer, they found approximately three kilograms of frozen human tissue concealed inside a plastic swimming cap.
Police arrested 40-year-old Finnish citizen Heikki Heikki Tapani Masalin, born on March 24, 1942, later that same day. The man had previously faced several charges involving sexual offenses. For example, he had been prosecuted for having sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 12 and for attempted rape in Finland. However, he escaped conviction in both cases. Two years before the murder, he had also been accused of raping a 56-year-old deaf and mute woman. Although a medical examination confirmed sexual intercourse and signs of violence, Masalin claimed that he had misunderstood the situation due to a language barrier. He was acquitted on that occasion as well.
On March 22, 1984, the Western High Court of Denmark sentenced Heikki Tapani Masalin to 16 years in prison for murder and desecration of human remains. According to available information, he died on October 9, 1996.
