Authorities have conducted a forensic search of a phone belonging to Juhani Paavolainen who is a resident of Loviisa. The examination of the device took place last Thursday following initial contact from the police the day before Midsummer.
Published: 24/06/25 | 15:43
The officers reached out to Paavolainen indicating their intent to speak with him which he complied with by visiting the Porvoo Police Station as arranged. During this visit Paavolainen handed over his phone to investigators.
“I unlocked the phone and gave it to them,” he said.
While the phone search was in progress Paavolainen was interviewed by a separate officer. He stated that the questioning lasted approximately an hour and emphasized that he was heard purely in the capacity of a witness and not as a suspect.
“I was clearly informed I was being interviewed as a witness,” Paavolainen explained.
At the end of the interview the officer retrieved his phone though the forensic search had not yet concluded. Paavolainen stepped out for a walk and returned about thirty minutes later to collect the device.
The inquiry is tied to the disappearance of the Karfi family in Pedersöre for whom police have issued a missing persons alert.
Paavolainen has known the Karfi family for several years and had regular contact with their eldest child prior to the family’s disappearance. He is also the chairman of the Finnish Home Teachers Association which is a group in which the missing father has reportedly been active.
The police questioned Paavolainen about any recent interactions he may have had with the family and whether he was aware of their whereabouts. He denied having had any contact with them since they vanished and said that he has no knowledge of their current location.
During the interview, one question stood out to him.
“The police asked me what I would do if the family were to reach out to me,” he said while describing the question as somewhat suggestive.
“I felt it was a bit leading. It struck me as odd that they would ask something like that.”
When asked how he responded Paavolainen said: “I told them I don’t expect the family to contact me. And I added that the family is capable of speaking for themselves.”
Paavolainen admitted the phone search was unsettling.
“It’s not a great feeling,” he said. “They can perform these searches on pretty minimal grounds and a phone contains a lot of private information.”
The parents of the Karfi family are currently suspected of violating child supervision obligations including the unauthorized removal of a child from custody and failure to ensure attendance in compulsory education. Publicly available sources also suggest the parents have either been suspected or are currently under suspicion for aggravated assault, though this has not been officially confirmed by the police.
