#jukka hyttinen

[finnishcrimestory]

Anni Törn

Anni Törn, 29 years old, was healthy, well educated young woman from Savonlinna. She had always loved writing about her life, so she did it in a form of diaries and her blog. Her blog surrounded a lot around her active lifestyle, and she had plans to compete in figure competitions. She loved to travel and experience different cultures, so she volunteered in Tanzania, where she apparently helped local orphans and visited schools. When she returned to Finland she started to study BBA in Mikkeli, but left to be an au pair in The Hague, Netherlands during the same fall. In 2017 Törn moved to Rovaniemi with her sister, because she started an internship in a local insurance company. After the internship ended, Törn applied for a job from the same company, but this time in Mikkeli. The man who interviewed her was 33 year old Jukka Hyttinen.

In March 2018 Anni got the job and moved to Mikkeli. She did not particularly like moving and living in Mikkeli, but she was satisfied with it since it was very close to her hometown Savonlinna. Törn’s boss was the same man who interviewed her, Hyttinen. They grew close and very soon they started dating. According to Hyttinen, they had good chemistry between them and the relationship moved ahead fast. Very soon they stopped using protection and tried to conceive. Törn’s family liked Hyttinen, even though Törn’s mother was a bit confused because the relationship moved forward so fast. Törn’s family described Hyttinen to be polite person who dressed neatly and was ambitious.

Törn and Hyttinen did not live together immediately, but they had plans on getting a house together where they could build a life. In summer 2018 they carried out with this plan and purchased a house from Mikkeli. During this time Törn also revealed to her family that she was pregnant. According to Törn’s mother, she was happy and thriving. The pregnancy was very happy news for Törn, and her friends were glad she had found such a good man for herself.

On 21st of July 2018 Törn and Hyttinen were invited to a birthday party. Hyttinen was quite new to all the guests present, but they welcomed him well. Törn of course did not drink any alcohol during the night, but Hyttinen drank even for her behalf. The host of the party also noticed how much Hyttinen drank, and according to him it was over 20 servings. After 12 am people started to leave from the party and the people left were Törn, Hyttinen, the one who’s birthday they were celebrating and his girlfriend. At some point the topic of the conversation changed and they started to discuss Törn’s ex boyfriend. Hyttinen got very upset because of this and asked if they could change the subject. However Hyttinen himself continued talking about the ex. Törn tried to make Hyttinen change the subject by talking about other things, but Hyttinen did not stop. According to people present, Hyttinen’s behaviour changed and he was very angry and uncomfortable. The situation escalated and Törn yelled at Hyttinen and slapped him. After this Törn was going to leave the party and suggested that Hyttinen should walk back home, not come with her car. Hyttinen however managed to get into the car and they left together. 

On the next day Törn’s family got worried when they couldn’t reach her with a phone. Törn’s brother, Antti called Hyttinen who told that he is in Joensuu and couldn’t tell where Törn was. Hyttinen had fled the argument from last night to his hometown in Joensuu. Antti described the call as follows: “When Hyttinen called me and told Anni was missing, I knew he had done something to her, because I’ve been living in a world where I’ve witnessed horrible things to happen for so long. I wen’t to Joensuu and started to search for Anni.”

Antti and Törn’s mother made a missing persons report on a Sunday night approximately at 10:30 pm. Törn’s mother also called some hospitals and asked if Törn would be there. Antti searched for her from her previous apartment in Mikkeli, Hyttinen’s previous apartment in Savonlinna and from Joensuu where he met Hyttinen. He had been asking about Törn and noticed a bruise on Hyttinen’s hand, which had been bandaged. After this, Antti informed police of everything and they decided to search Hyttinen’s apartment and interrogate him.

Antti also wrote a post on Facebook about Törn’s disappearance. He wrote: “Anni Törn has gone missing on the night between Saturday and Sunday. Anybody who knows something of her movements, could you please contact me. And Anni, if you see this, my dear sister contact me. I’m dying of worry.”

When the police talked to Hyttinen, he told that on Sunday Törn had a meeting with a man who had been serving time in a prison. He apparently referred to Törn’s ex boyfriend who was currently in prison. The police contacted the prison and found out that the man in question was not on a furlough or anything, so he couldn’t not have been meeting with Törn. The police searched Hyttinen’s apartment but didn’t find anything. However they noticed that the shower curtain was missing from there. Törn was never late or missed her work shifts, so the police decided to wait til Monday to see if she would go to work. This didn’t happen so she was declared missing. 

The police interrogated Hyttinen who told them about the argument and that Törn had woken him up during the night and told him that he had to leave. Hyttinen told that he had done that and left the apartment. He also told that Törn had started to show aggression towards him after she got pregnant. The police looked into Hyttinen’s movements and he indeed had left the apartment during that night. When they were searching his car, they found grass from his car’s bumper. This was suspicious to the police.

When the police talked to the friend from the party, they had told that Hyttinen had called them on Sunday. He had told that he and Törn had became reconciled right away after they arrived home. He told that he however couldn’t sleep, and that was the reason he had left the apartment. 

Törn’s brother Antti took part in the search very closely since the beginning. He used social media, volunteered as a searcher and gathered other searchers as well. He noticed contradictions in the things Hyttinen told and sensed that things are not like Hyttinen has told. Antti had visited Hyttinen’s apartment and noticed weird blood marks in the staircase. Antti called Hyttinen and tried to find out about the blood. This is what Antti told about the call: “If something has happened, tell me now. I’ve thought of you being a person who has backbone, so I hope there is enough man in you to be honest with things.” Hyttinen had answered that he knows more than he has told. 

When 4 days had passed of Törn’s disappearance, the police started to investigate it as a manslaughter and Hyttinen became their main suspect. On 26th of July 2018 Hyttinen called the main inspector of the case and asked if they could talk. Hyttinen was brought to police station, and while he was there, crime scene insvestigators investigated his apartment. Hyttinen’s bathroom was very clean and they could find clear remnants of detergent, which meant that during the cleaning, detergent had been used with large amounts. Even though the bathroom was cleaned very well, the police found Törn’s blood from there. 

(In the picture above, you can see police arresting Hyttinen.)

Again Hyttinen told about the argument which had continued in the apartment. In the middle of the argument Hyttinen had wanted to take a shower, but Törn had prevented him of doing that. Hyttinen claimed that Törn had been kicking and hitting him. Hyttinen confessed that he had hit Törn. First once, then twice and in the result of the third hit, Törn had collapsed on the floor and lost consciousness. After that Hyttinen had called his friend and told that Törn is not alive anymore. Hyttinen had packed Törn in his car and driven to Joensuu. During the drive, Hyttinen had dropped Törn’s body off of a bridge. 

The police searched the waters but they did not discover the body. The police started to suspect what Hyttinen had told so they contacted the friend to who Hyttinen had called after killing Törn. He told that Hyttinen had revealed that he will bury Törn in his parent’s property in Joensuu. During the interrogation, Hyttinen told the police that he had buried Törn in his parents property. The police started the investigation there, and very quickly a sniffer dog found the grave. According to the coroner, Törn had big bruises and sores in her head and legs. Törn had been laying on the bathroom floor, while she had been hit in the head and choked. Bruising from Törn’s body revealed that she had been kicked, hit and that she had been hit with a triangle shaped object. All this abuse had resulted to Törn getting a brain damage that resulted to her death.

Hyttinen didn’t really comment of the abuse, but according to some sources he had told that he hit Törn three times which killed her, and to other sources he remembered holding her down. He had tried to stop the blood from flowing with a towel, which he later threw away alongside with the shower curtain. At one point Hyttinen told that he had dropped strawberries on the floor, which was why he had cleaned there so well. 

The trial

During the trial, Hyttinen only confessed on the abuse, but all the evidence from the body told otherwise. Törn had suffered hard and long lasting abuse and she couldn’t have defended herself. Hyttinen tried to defend himself by telling that he does not remember the situation so well, but he did remember things that suited him some way. The court was not happy about this, and were able to find out that Hyttinen had continued the abuse even after noticing that Törn wasn’t conscious anymore. Hyttinen told that Törn as well had been violent, but the police weren’t able to find any evidence from his body to back this up. Törn’s family had never seen Törn to act violently, and they don’t believe that she was violent towards Hyttinen. Törn’s mother told that Törn was that type of person who always tried to avoid conflict and not take part in arguments. 

Hyttinen was sentenced to 9 years and 10 months to prison for manslaughter and violation of the grave. He complained to the court of appeals but the sentence stayed the same.

After

Törn’s funeral was on 1st of September 2018, where her loved ones ate her bravura, cheesecake. Törn’s sister Riitta wished that people would remember Anni for something else than just a victim of manslaughter. She described Anni to be brave, who was not afraid to make her dreams come true. Anni was very close to her family, especially her brother Antti and they were in contact daily. People said that if Anni ever got any problems in her life, she would always tell Antti first. Anni was people loving, cheerful and bright woman. When reading articles of her and the case, I got the general image of her being very kind and lovely person. I truly hope her loved ones can find peace in their lives, and keep Anni’s legacy alive.