She checked in under a fake name. She wasn't alone. Decades later, no one knows who either of them really were.
On May 31, 1995, a woman calling herself Jennifer Fairgate checked into Oslo's Plaza Hotel in Norway. Three days later, she was found dead in her room from a gunshot wound. Her real identity has never been established.
A Fake Name, and a Man Who Was Never Found
Fairgate checked in around 10:44 p.m., giving a nonexistent address in Belgium and claiming to be 21 — forensic examination later suggested she was closer to 30. She misspelled her own alias twice on hotel paperwork, writing "Fergate" instead of "Fairgate." She also registered a second guest, a man using the name "Lois Fairgate." The front desk employee who checked her in said he never saw anyone with her, but another staff member later said she saw Jennifer enter the room with a man believed to be between 25 and 40 years old. That man has never been identified, and it's unclear how thoroughly the original investigation pursued that lead.
She and her companion never paid for the room, despite warnings from hotel staff. A "Do Not Disturb" sign stayed on the door for much of the stay. Housekeeping staff who did enter described the room as unusually tidy — as though barely lived in — and noted a pair of high-heeled shoes near the luggage rack that were never found again after her death.
The Final Day
By June 2, Jennifer had extended her stay through the weekend and ordered room service that evening. On June 3, a hotel employee went to the room to collect payment. As he knocked, a gunshot rang out from inside. He retreated to alert security rather than entering immediately; by the time staff returned, roughly 15 minutes had passed. Jennifer was found dead with a 9mm pistol in her hand and a gunshot wound to the head. The door had been double-locked from the inside — though investigators later noted the hotel's locking mechanism could technically be engaged from outside as well, if someone knew how.
What Didn't Add Up
Investigators ruled the death a suicide, but several details troubled them from the start. A forensic examiner noted the lack of expected gunshot residue and back-spatter patterns on both the weapon and Jennifer's hands. She had removed the labels from her clothing. The room contained no passport, wallet, keys, toiletries, or makeup — only a nearly empty bottle of men's cologne. She'd been carrying 34 rounds of ammunition, far more than needed for a single shot. And the room had reportedly sat empty for a stretch of roughly 20 hours during her stay, with no confirmed account of where she'd been.
Her dental work was notably expensive, using gold and porcelain techniques more commonly associated with the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, or Germany at the time. She spoke fluent German and English.
Theories
Over the years, investigators and amateur researchers have floated numerous explanations: that she was involved in an intelligence operation gone wrong, a professional criminal or courier whose plans fell apart, a high-end escort, or simply a deeply distressed woman who wanted to disappear before ending her life. Norwegian police checked whether she might be connected to an Italian organized crime case at the time; Italian authorities confirmed she wasn't who they suspected.
No DNA Match, Decades Later
In the years since, investigators have periodically revisited the case using improved forensic techniques, including a 2016 exhumation of her remains for further DNA testing. Despite entering her genetic profile into international databases that have solved numerous other cold cases in recent years, no match — to her or to any relative — has ever been found.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Jennifer Fairgate's identity ever been confirmed?
No. Despite decades of investigation and modern DNA testing, her real identity remains unknown.
Was the man who checked in with her ever identified?
No. "Lois Fairgate" has never been identified, and it's unclear how thoroughly investigators were able to pursue that lead at the time.
Was her death confirmed as a suicide?
Officially, yes, though several forensic and circumstantial details have led investigators and researchers to continue questioning that conclusion over the years.
Is the case still being investigated?
It remains technically unsolved in terms of her identity, with periodic renewed forensic efforts, though there's no confirmed active investigation as of the most recent reporting.