Part 5 - Visiting the Site for the First Time
In the beginning of November 2020, I decided to visit my parents who lived in northern Finland. The snow had not yet covered the grounds, so on the way I decided to check out the locations where I believed Jussi had disappeared.
I started at the road to the country house. I tried to visualize what the place looked like almost ten years ago, on a pitch black rainy autumn night. It was apparent how the turn to the main road is at an angle towards the left (ie. east/towards E75). For me this was a confirmation that Jussi turned left, if he was just going to drive around.
The next site I stopped at was the canal, which was the primary search site. I walked the banks of the canal and the side of the road. The canal looked small, maybe too small but there were lots of supporting factors. The curve, which started before the canal, tightened nastily and the apex was just before the canal. It was easy to think that Jussi had stepped on the gas when he turned onto the main road, and the car quickly accelerated as it was an automatic and not stick like most cars in Finland. Maybe he was speeding as he reached the curve and lost control. There was also a sign by the road, which seemed to have been knocked down a few years earlier and a support beam had been added to it. Did Jussi knock it over with the car?
The canal seen from the dam.
I continued to the second site. The bridge by the river was after a long straight stretch of road, confirming that this could be the right spot. But the distance from where the bridge’s railing started to the river was long and the angle of the slope was so steep. It caused me to have second thoughts. How could anyone drive along such a steep slope? I started to think that the angle of the slope would force the car to the forest before it could hit the water.
The river and bridge seen from the suspected route.
Seeing the places assured me that the priorities were set right. Both were possible but the canal was the number one spot.