Headless torso of a woman found by passer-by in hunt for journalist Kim Wall, who ‘died on sunken home-made submarine’
The body was discovered in the waters of Copenhagen close to where the Swedish reporter disappeared
THE DECAPITATED torso of a woman has been found close to the spot where a Swedish journalist is thought to have died while on a home-made submarine.
The body, also without legs or arms, was found by a horrified passer-by floating in the Baltic sea in Copenhagen on Monday.
Journalist Kim Wall went missing more than a week ago after a trip on the submarine owned by 46-year-old Peter Madsen.
Lead investigator Jens Moller Jensen said it was too early to tell if the body was that of the 30-year-old reporter.
He said: "We have recovered the body ... It is the torso of a woman.
"An inquest will be conducted."
The grisly find comes after the Danish inventor sensationally claimed she died in a mysterious “accident” on his submarine and that he dumped her body overboard.
Madsen initially claimed he last saw Ms Wall when he dropped her off on an island in Copenhagen late on August 10 following an interview aboard the do-it-yourself craft.
But cops said Madsen "told police and the court that there was an accident on board the sub that led to the death of Kim Wall, and that he subsequently buried her at sea in an undefined location of the Koge Bay" south of Copenhagen.
Madsen's appearance before a judge on August 12 was held behind closed doors and the probe has been classified, so it is not known exactly when he made his statement.
But his lawyer Betina Hald Engmark told Danish broadcaster TV2 on Monday that Madsen "had always wanted" the information on the preliminary hearing to be disclosed.
She said: "He's relieved right now that the information has been brought to the public.
"But he is still very much affected by the situation."
Danish and Swedish authorities had been searching for Wall since she failed to return after their meeting aboard the 60ft Nautilus on August 10.
Swedish daily Aftonbladet quoted a letter from Wall's family on Friday "pleading for help from the public" about her whereabouts.
Her family was quoted as saying: "We wish for nothing more than to have Kim back alive, but we realise that the chances are extremely slim."
Wall was a freelance journalist who had reported for The Guardian and The New York Times.
A graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, she was based between New York and China.
Her friends had described her as "invincible", "ambitious" and "always seeing something good in everyone", according to Swedish media reports.
Madsen and Wall were seen on board the vessel by several people in waters off Copenhagen the evening of August 10.
Photos of the two standing next to each other in the sub's tower emerged online.
Wearing an orange fleece and with her long auburn hair tied in a topknot, she appeared to be smiling.
When Wall failed to return home, the sub was also reported missing.
Rescue crews located it around a day later in Koge Bay, about 30 miles south of the Danish capital.
Madsen was rescued alone shortly afterwards, and the submarine suddenly sank.
Police have since said they believe Madsen "deliberately" sank the sub. It was brought to the surface and searched, but found to be empty.
TV2 showed images of Madsen being interrogated by police after his rescue.
When a journalist asked him what contact information he had for the missing journalist, he responded: "Only that her name is Kim."
"I don't check the background when a journalist calls and asks 'Can I interview you?'" Madsen said indifferently as he entered a police car.
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