Nothing to suggest that the father kidnapped his daughter

"There is nothing to suggest other than that they were in normal communication that day and he had permission to be with his daughter," says Grímur Grímsson, senior police officer of the central investigation department in the capital area, about the man who is now in police custody as a suspect about killing his 10-year-old daughter Sunday night.

Asked if the case is related to custody disputes and if the man had custody of the daughter, Grímsson says:

"I can't really tell you if he had custody or joint custody, but I don't think so, I think the mother had custody." However, he had access to the child."

He then says that there is no indication that the father kipdnapped the girl.

Took time to locate the man

Asked about last night's events, he says:

"From six o'clock Sunday night, we received a notification from a man who called us and said he had killed his daughter. It was a bit unclear [...] where he was exactly so it took a bit of time to get him to say it properly and place it."

He adds that when that information was finally obtained, the man was soon found and arrested by the National Police Commissioner's Special Squad. It was in the lava opposite Vatnsskarðnáma at Krýsuvíkurvegur Road.

"They continued somewhat according to a tip from him and found the girl dead in the lava," Grímsson says, but when asked, he says that she was found some distance away from the place where the man was arrested.

Was not under the influence

He then says that the reason why it took time to locate the man was not that he was being uncooperative, but rather that he did not properly realize where he was.

Asked if he was then under the influence or mentally unbalanced, Grímsson says:

"No he didn't appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and nothing seriously unbalanced."

The case is currently only being investigated as a homicide, but Grímsson reiterates that something else can be revealed later.

An autopsy will take place this week

"At this stage, we are investigating a homicide, but there can be a change in this type of investigation.

There may be information that points to someone else than was initially expected, and in such investigations it is extremely important that the police officers who come to it do so with an open mind and think broadly," Grímsson says.

He cannot say whether it is believed to be an act of intent or whether a weapon was used.

"Now it is the case that an autopsy will take place this week, and following that we will receive a preliminary result on the cause of death. Whether we will reveal that remains to be seen."

Has not spoken much during the hearings

As mentioned before, the man himself reported the crime to the police, but Grímsson does not want to reveal whether a formal confession was made during today's interrogation.

"He hasn't commented very much, but I don't want to go into what has been revealed in the hearings otherwise."

When asked, he then says that a house search was conducted in a building that the man has access to today, as well as a search was made in his car that was found at the scene.

Finally, he says that the man has not previously been in trouble with the law due to acts of violence and that he is not aware that child protection has previously interfered with him.