Cops: Sub Owner Confesses Journalist Died in 'Accident'

The mystery of what happened to a Swedish journalist who vanished after a ride on a Danish inventor's submarine is slowly becoming clearer. Though details are still scarce, Copenhagen police say Peter Madsen, after changing his story, has confessed that Kim Wall died in "an accident" on board his Nautilus sub and that he then "buried her at sea," the BBC reports. Officials have been searching for Wall since her disappearance on Aug. 10, when she boarded Madsen's sub, which then sank off of Denmark's Refshaleoen island. Madsen initially claimed he had dropped Wall off after they'd cruised around for about three hours, but in a police statement cited by the Local, that story has since been modified.

"The accused has told police and the court that an accident occurred on board the submarine which caused Kim Wall’s death, and that he subsequently buried her at sea at an unspecified location somewhere in Koge Bay," reads the statement in the closed-door case. Madsen's explanation was released after a defense and prosecution request. Although the statement also notes that "current charges remain in place," it's unclear what those charges are: Deutsche Welle notes that Madsen was originally charged with negligent manslaughter, but it's now reporting a new charge of aggressive manslaughter, which it says can lead to a prison sentence of up to eight years. A search for Wall's body in the newly pinpointed area is now underway. (More missing person stories.)