Upon results of a pre-investigative probe launched in relation to a mass media report, the Moscow Main Investigation Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia launched a criminal investigation under Article 105 of the Criminal Code of Russia (murder).

According to the investigation, in June 2019, a woman born in 1950 had left her apartment on Malygina Street in Moscow, following which her location had remained unknown for her neighbors she had been in touch with until November. The woman’s apartments were sold to unidentified persons.

In the shortest time possible, the investigators established that the woman had gone to a summer home with a friend of her deceased son who had been living with her after her son’s death to help her around the house. One day, while doing gardening, the man disliked the tone of the senior woman confronting him, so he struck her on the neck by an ax at least four times. To avoid criminal responsibility, the man hid the woman’s body under the back porch of the summer house. Once returned to Moscow, he applied to his acquaintances who helped him to forge the documents and register the apartments on other persons.

The perpetrators were located during the required investigative actions and subsequently detained.

At present, the man suspected of the woman’s murder and the persons who made the deal for selling the apartments are subject to preventive detention. Upon instruction of the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, the investigative process is supervised by the Central Office of the Committee.