Critique of Social Services Escalates in Emilia Murder Case
Social services face criticism for their handling of Emilia's care prior to her murder.
Key Points
- • Emilia was murdered despite court orders for her to be taken into care.
- • Social services had minimal contact with Emilia while she lived at home.
- • Ivo criticized the transfer of responsibility back to her parent.
- • Kristianstad municipality found no mishandling by social services.
The tragic murder of 14-year-old Emilia in Landskrona has prompted significant criticism of social services' handling of her care. Despite a court order for Emilia to be forcibly taken into care due to safety concerns, she was permitted to live with her parent before her untimely death. The Health and Social Care Inspectorate (Ivo) highlighted failures in the system, asserting that the care committee controversially transferred responsibility back to her parent, whom they deemed incapable of providing a safe environment.
Ivo's report is particularly damning, noting that social services only made contact with Emilia once during the two weeks she lived at home, contradicting the safety measures recommended. Emilia’s case history shows a pattern of unstable placements; previously, she had been living in various homes, and a critical incident at her last placement led her to a temporary return home.
Kristianstad municipality conducted an internal investigation into Emilia’s case but stated there were no evident signs of mishandling by social services. Richard Berggren, chair of the work and welfare committee, deferred comments on Ivo's findings until they could be formally discussed in June. In the aftermath of Emilia's death, two girls, aged 13 and 15, were convicted of her murder by Lund District Court in February 2025.