The Khabarovsk Territory Office of the Investigative Committee has charged a 61-year-old man with crimes under Part 2, items “c” and “j” of Article 105 (murder), Part 3, item “c” of Article 131, Part 3, item “c” of Article 132 of the RF Penal Code (version of 13.06.1996).
A 7-year-old girl went missing in the settlement of Preryaslavka, Lazo District on 26 February 1998. She had gone sleighing and had not come back. Searches gave no results.
10 years later, in May 2008, local residents accidentally found a grouted metal barrel on a wasteland near the settlement of Mogilyovka. They wanted to use the barrel as scrap metal, but had to get rid of the cement inside. When they scraped out the cement they found child’s bones and pieces of clothes. The investigative authority opened a murder investigation.
Investigators ran 15 forensic inquiries (medical examination of bones, 5 biological examinations, examination of varnish, paint and finish, all-round examination of construction materials and minerals. 2 medical and forensic examinations, 2 commission medical examinations, examination of fibrous materials, psychiatric and sexological examinations, trace and handwriting examinations), carried out 5 examinations of incident scenes, 4 seizures, sent 10 search and investigative orders , more than 30 requests on information, interrogated 78 people to solve this major crime. However, all this work revealed neither the cause of death nor the sex of the child. Even identification of the remains was impossible because at the time there was no forensic equipment available. The murderer also remained unknown.
In the spring of 2016, experts of the regional investigative authority examined the clothes found in the barrel once more. They used latest forensic equipment and found biological evidence belonging to a man. They matched it the DNA of the man suspected of the crime and the 61-year-old man was detained.
The investigators did a lot to document his criminal activity. For example, they established that back in 1998 the man worked in an art studio in the settlement of Pereyaslavka. Forensic specialists went there and found the building. It is abandoned at the present time. Using forensic equipment they found microscopic blood traces inside the building. They took the blood to their laboratory and matched it to that of the missing girl. The man had already been convicted of a sex crime he had committed against a 4-year-old girl. At the time a court sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Khabarovsk Territory police force is providing operational support to the investigation.
At present, investigative operations are underway to find out all the circumstances surrounding the crime. The investigation is ongoing.
PDF version 
DOC version
