Jennifer Fergate: The Oslo Plaza Woman

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Feels like forever since I've had a script come out on this channel, so hope you all enjoy! Good news, there's a couple more from me already on the way as well! <3

Norwegian here: We use the word "sterilt" (sterile) as a descriptor for when a room feels over the top immaculate/ clean/ barren, kind of like a hospital where there's few to none personal items or clutter.

1. Always been fascinated by this story. 2. Absolutely on the hotel “do not disturb” signs in the U.S. Here, they’re more like ‘speed limit’ signs: followed about 50% of the time but are more likely to be adhered to when it’s really busy. I always deadbolt hotel doors for exactly that reason. I’m usually awaked to the bolt loudly catching while the housekeeper attempts to bust into my room like they’re the FBI serving a no knock warrant.

I'd like to comment on the "labels removed from clothes" phenomenon - i have done this with most of my clothes simply because label materials tend to be scratchy and irritating to my skin, i am the least mysterious person in the world.

My sister, unfortunately, passed away in a hotel room. She was a travelling nurse & missed her morning appointments, so the police were called to do a welfare check. Thankfully, it was the police that found her & not some poor maid. She had a blood clot travel to her heart & passed pretty quickly, thank God. I couldn't bear the thought of her laying there, in pain, unable to call for help.

As a former hotel employee, I would be very interested to know what was going behind-the-scenes at the front desk. I understand that it’s different brand standards, a different country, and just over two decades apart; but my experience is limited to the US in the 2010s, and thus gave me a lot of nitpicky questions in the story’s lead up that makes me want to know more about how European hotels operate Additionally, I have to wonder about the key cards. Simon’s script mentions that she had initially checked in and then extended her stay, that both of her key cards were in the room when she was found, and that that hotel’s locks made it possible to double lock the door from the outside with the key card. What I have to wonder though is 1) when she extended her stay, did she got new key cards or did her old key cards get reprogrammed? I’ve seen it happen multiple times where a guest extended their stay but did not have both of their keys with them at that moment so we just gave them one or two new keys (The general preference is to rekey the existing cards if possible). And 2) it is said that her key cards were in the room with her, but were the keys actually tested to see if they were the current key cards for that room, or did the police just see 2 key cards in the room and assume they were the updated ones? When she extended, if she DID get new keys, is it possible that someone who might have been in the room with her when she died took one of the working key cards to lock the door behind them and left behind keys that no longer worked or were possibly even for a different room?

I really appreciate how much Kevin and Simon read and ingest the information thoughtfully. If something doesn't make sense Kevin researches it further. He also makes notes which Simon responds to which adds a nice dialogue aspect to the video

The sequel to "was there a second shooter": "was there a second sausage?"

only a little way through so far but as someone that worked at a mid-end hotel for ten years - yeah, you do NOT let them swish off to their room without a credit card on file. Maybe super high-end hotels trust their guests more but there was no way that would have flown in any hotel I've ever heard of, even back in the 90s (especially in the 90s maybe). One thing goes wrong in that room, they spill coffee on the mattress, they make a long distance call, they leave the tub running and flood the room - your boss would have your (figurative) head if there was no credit card on file to charge. Sasha just wasn't doing his job, which happens sometimes when you've got a wimp at the front desk that can't handle anything but the fluffiest of customers. Also we ALWAYS required ID, matched to the credit card. No ID, no security deposit on the credit card - no check in. No exceptions no matter how crowded that lobby is. And that was a mid-tier hotel. I can't imagine the top of the top line being that gullible especially with that much money, and reputation, tied up in there. Maybe they just made enough nightly to write off any and all damages to the room or wild incidents - but that would be terrible business practice, especially once word gets out that there are no consequences for anything done in that hotel. And yes, our maids did, on occasion, walk in on some pretty disturbing rooms including one guy that had killed himself with a shot to the head in the middle of the night. Any hotel that tells you no ones died in it (or that they've never had bedbugs) is lying. Also - knock that crap off! There's no need to traumatize a total stranger earning minimum wage because you want to go out in a private place. Our maids were tough as nails and that one still had to take a week off (no pay btw) to be okay enough to go back to cleaning rooms. If you're going to make a mess of your own life, do it somewhere you won't screw other people over in the process. (we also had to spend about five years after that fact watching out for the guy's daughter who kept trying to rent a room on the anniversary of her dad's death so she could follow his example. I hope she's still alive and doing better now. That was a rough 'anniversary' for a lot of us each year)

Thank you for dedicating the Jennifer's Body joke to me and the four other likeminded people who immediately thought about Megan Fox.

American here, anytime I have shared a bed with a partner there's 2 blankets. I cocoon up when I sleep so it is literally impossible to share a blanket with me. Two blankets prevented fights and resentment. I highly recommend it.

No Simon. As someone who spent equal time between dad in different European places(including Eastbourne/Beachy Head), and mom & military stepdad traveling all over the USA; I can assure you that the closest American thing to a duvet is in fact a comforter. The gross thing they spread across hotel room beds is best described as a coverlet. It is quilted or woven, but it is flatter with no batting to offer comfort like...well...a comforter. It is more for making the bed look neat, tidy, color-coordinated, and wrinkle free when made. The coverlet is almost more for visual reassurance of tidiness than it is for comfort. If you'll pardon the baking analogy: comforter is to frosting as coverlet is to fondant

First the Isdal woman and now this case! I must say that, as a Norwegian, I am very excited about these cases being covered by Simon and the wonderful team! ❤

Reaction to a side tangent: Unless I'm staying somewhere for longer than like 5 days, I just hang "do not disturb" on my door every day. I don't need my room made up. There was one time they did it anyway, though. I think I was in Italy. Nothing was taken or anything, but I was like "what are you doing?"

I work in a hotel and you're right people do check into hotels to commit suicide. I think it's because they will be left alone in their room for a while, but also be discovered pretty fast too when they don't show up to check out. Though I would say that I find it mean to the staff to do so.

There is a third reason why the food would still be in her stomach after 20 hours; she had gastroparesis. It's a condition where food does not move through your systems because parts or all of your: esophagus, stomach or intestines do not contract to move the food along. So instead of your stomach emptying out in 4 to 6 hours, it could take 19 or more. If she didn't eat it as soon as it was delivered or ate a few bites in-between doing other things, the food would still be in her stomach. It is also common for those who have this condition to eat small amounts, hours apart. If she split it up into three meals an hour or two apart, this would make even sense. This condition causes severe stomach cramps and bloating. Eating small amounts at a time lessens the effects. 🌈⭐ Now you know. 😁

Oh, its very possible for eyeliner (some types less likely, pencil or gel more likely) to stay on for that long even through a shower. Even when you want to take it off. .... ESPECIALLY when you want to take it off, it's like it knows.

As for the gun being cobbled together from various parts: it's surprisingly common among surplus weapons, either from being traded around various NATO militaries (a richer country adopts a new weapon, passes on their old FN-made guns and spares to an ally who mixes parts with the ones they built domestically under license then later buys the new thing and passes their mixed old stuff on to a third country, who dumps what's left of all three different batches of pistols on the commercial surplus market when THEY upgrade) or just straight to surplus and civilians buy a cheap ex-military frame and replace/upgrade all the other parts.

I'm 39 minutes in and I was already questioning the lack of gunpowder residue on her hand. Now I find out she fired it twice? And still no residue? I call BS. Perhaps Kevin will explain this as the exploration continues.