Swedish student at centre of homeless woman mystery taken to Rome hospital as it emerges she removed all photos of herself from family home before disappearing
THE Swedish student identified as Rome's mystery homeless woman has been taken to hospital, it has emerged today.
Embla Jauhojarvi, 21, who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, was taken to a secure unit at a medical facility in the Italian capital, where she is under close observation.
The girl’s father, who flew to Rome after seeing her picture online, made the revelation today, adding that his daughter was not allowed to leave.
He also said she had removed all the pictures of herself from the family home before she disappeared.
Tahvo Jauhojarvi told : “Embla took all of the photographs of her from the family albums and off the walls before she disappeared. She cut up her library card into pieces.
“I don't know what is wrong with her or whether something happened to her. She was so dirty.”
The distraught dad also described how his daughter was filthy when he and his ex-wife Ilona Kapp met her at the Swedish Embassy yesterday.
Tahvo told The Sun Online yesterday that Embla was "a wreck" as she refused to speak to them in her mother tongue, answering only in English or Italian.
The emotional father said the reunion was "not that good yet – she's a wreck" and despite his best attempts to speak to Embla, he struggled to strike up a conversation with her.
He added: "She was almost like a zombie. She wanted to go out (on the streets) again and do what she was doing. She didn't say anything - she didn't want me to contact her."
Dressed in a floral dress with a black jacket and a scarf, Embla had arrived at the embassy yesterday to see her family for the first time in months.
RELATED STORIES
Her long hair remained in dreadlocks and she covered it with a black cloth, while her blue trainers without socks appeared to be a size too big for her.
Embla made headlines after internet sleuths two days ago claimed she could be missing Brit Madeleine McCann.
This intense interest was sparked by a local who posted photographs of Embla online after seeing her wandering the streets of Rome.
Although Met Police and McCann family supporters disproved the extraordinary claims, the attention her story received caught the eye of her father in Stockholm.
Embla's family arrived in Rome yesterday having booked the first flight possible to try and bring their daughter home.
Speaking earlier, Tahvo said: "She's a bright girl but sometimes she can get in those strange situations. She's looking like a bag lady, homeless, and she doesn't have any belongings, no clothes, any cellphone.
"She could have been in some kind of shock, I don't know what she's done there or what has happened to her. I don't want to think about this."
He was confident she would come home now she had been located and assisted by Italian authorities.
Tuesday night Italian police had confirmed her identity, saying they were also providing her with accommodation.
"She is in good health but we are doing health checks and are giving her accommodation for the moment in Rome. They haven't had contact with her in a few months."
They had spoken to her previously, though at that time she didn't want to be identified and claimed she was British and called Maria.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368.