Daughter Faces Father, the Notorious Skara Cannibal, in Emotional Reunion

For the first time in four years, Jamie-Lee Arrow confronted her father, Isakin Jonsson, known as the Skara Cannibal. The highly anticipated reunion took place in October 2024, where the now 23-year-old mother of two sought to reconnect with the man she once adored.

“I had no idea how he would react,” Arrow admitted in an interview. “And I didn’t know how I would react. I couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like. But when I first saw him, it was like we had always been together. And when he started to cry and show so much emotion, it felt really nice. It felt like he had changed. I thought he had changed.”

Jonsson, whose chilling crime is depicted in the Investigation Discovery series “Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks,” made headlines for brutally murdering his girlfriend, Helle Christensen, in 2010. His gruesome actions have shocked many, and now the spotlight turns to the complex relationship between father and daughter.

According to the series, Jonsson, 46 at the time, committed the horrific act in his Skara, Sweden, home. He reportedly slit Christensen’s throat, decapitated her, and consumed parts of her remains. Arrow was only nine years old when this tragedy unfolded.

Reflecting on her childhood, Arrow revealed how she unintentionally discovered the truth about her father. “I accidentally saw the newspapers. I didn’t know what the word ‘cannibal’ meant. But when I was 13, I read some articles, and then I understood what the word meant. By then, my dad had me wrapped around his finger. He made himself the good person, and his girlfriend was the villain. He brainwashed me to believe that,” she stated.

Two Worlds of Childhood

Growing up, Arrow found herself caught in a contrasting reality. Her mother’s home embodied love and stability, while visiting her father exposed her to darkness. “There was no light in his home,” she recalled. “He kept himself busy watching violent horror films and making macabre voodoo dolls. I was warned by Jonsson not to tell my mother about these visits.”

Arrow described her father’s duality. On some days, he was a devoted dad, showering her with affection. However, his unpredictable mood swings created a tense atmosphere. “He would sometimes send a confused Arrow back home when he couldn’t deal with me,” she noted.

A Second Mother and a Shock

At the tender age of nine, Arrow met Christensen, her father’s new girlfriend, who she quickly came to see as a second mother. Arrow was enchanted by Christensen’s nurturing nature and striking red hair. “My impression was that she really loved him,” Arrow articulated. “But I was never under the impression that my dad loved her. I knew she was begging for him to love her back, but at the same time, she could provoke him.”

Arrow witnessed turbulent fights between Jonsson and Christensen. “I felt like I was losing my dad more and more. The happy times became rarer,” she expressed. It was during one particularly harrowing weekend that Christensen ominously said to Arrow, “Enjoy your meal because this is the last thing you’ll ever eat from me, because your dad is going to kill me.” Those words haunt Arrow to this day.

The Aftermath of Horror

Shortly after Christensen’s death, Arrow’s mother shielded her from the press coverage about the murder. However, Arrow eventually discovered the tragic news, leading to a whirlwind of emotions. “I cried my eyes out… I went into denial very quickly. The next day, I was cold. I couldn’t feel anything… I was just numb. It was scary, because I didn’t recognize myself,” she reflected.

In 2011, Jonsson was convicted of the heinous crime, and the court ordered him to a psychiatric facility. Meanwhile, Arrow struggled with depression and anxiety in the wake of her traumatic childhood. This led to a debilitating battle with drug addiction.

Seeking Connection in Darkness

Throughout her tumultuous journey, Arrow maintained contact with her father. When confiding about bullying at school, he shockingly advised her to use voodoo dolls against her tormentors. Later, as she battled her mental health, Jonsson suggested a sinister ritual where she was to sell her soul to the devil.

In a moment of chilling honesty, Arrow recalled, “When I was 18, he asked me, ‘Jamie, do you want me to walk you through how I committed the murder?’ It’s such a twisted thing to say. [But] he walked me through it. I was so surprised, because he showed no remorse.” Arrow felt repulsed as her father recounted the crime with a disturbing passion.

The Reunion and Reflection

When Arrow decided to see Jonsson again years later, the reunion was fraught with anxiety. During their emotional meeting, Jonsson claimed that the murder was a twisted means to receive psychiatric care for his problems, asserting that Christensen had a death wish. “I do believe there are some truths in that, but I also believe he always liked watching really twisted films… I believe he saw the murder as his chance to live out those sick fantasies,” Arrow shared.

Despite the horror, she refrained from labeling him wholly evil. “I think of him as a very broken, sick person,” she remarked. “The thing he did was evil. That was an evil thing to do. There is nothing that makes up for that.”

A Journey Towards Closure

Jonsson has since been released from the hospital under supervision, while Arrow garners closure from their complicated past. Now, as a parent, she views her upbringing through a different lens. “Becoming a mother made me look at everything differently. I realized that none of my childhood trauma was my fault,” she expressed.

Arrow shared her goal of using her story to inspire others. “I believe that anyone can make it, no matter where they come from, no matter how broken they are. If you suffer from PTSD, trauma, or addiction – I believe everyone on this Earth can emerge from darkness with the right support,” she concluded.