Not found: the disappearance of the Usoltsev family remains unsolved
The Usoltsev family disappeared on September 28 during a hiking trip in the taiga of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and has not yet been found. The search operations covered dozens of kilometers of forest roads and large areas of inaccessible terrain, but no traces or bodies could be found. By mid-October, the active phase of the operation was completed, after which the search switched to a point format with the participation of professional rescuers. What is known a few months after the disappearance is in the Izvestia article.
How the tragedy happened: chronology of events
At the end of September, 64-year-old Sergei Usoltsev, his 48-year-old wife Irina and five-year-old daughter Arina went hiking in the area of Mount Pinocchio. The family stayed at one of the local camp sites and planned to return in a few hours, but did not get in touch again. The loss of the Usoltsevs became known on September 28.
According to friends, Sergey Usoltsev was well-versed in the taiga and had experience of such hikes, the route was considered potentially dangerous. Experts pointed to unstable weather conditions at this time of the year.
According to the regional office of the LizaAlert search and rescue team, the operation to find the Usoltsevs has become one of the largest and most complex in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in recent years. Hundreds of people participated in it — employees of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and volunteers who arrived from the Altai Territory, Kemerovo and Novosibirsk regions, as well as Khakassia.
The search teams explored hundreds of kilometers of taiga, checked river banks, caves, hunting huts and tourist shelters in the family's proposed area. Aircraft and drones with thermal imagers were used for the search, but no traces could be found. By mid-October, the active phase of the operation with the massive participation of volunteers was completed, after which only professional rescuers continued the search.
The active phase of the search for the Usoltsev family, who disappeared in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, is planned to resume after the improvement of weather conditions, including the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. This was announced on December 18 by the representative of the regional department "LizaAlert" Serafima Choodu.
Currently, the search activities are complicated by extreme weather conditions. In the area where the family disappeared, the average daily temperature ranges from -14 to -30 degrees, and at night frosts increase to -40 degrees.
The LizaAlert regional team also plans to use neural network technologies along with traditional methods, including the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, according to representative Serafima Chodu.
The LizaAlert representative stressed that the search operation remains extremely difficult due to the vast area to be explored.
New details about the family's disappearance
During the search, 300 thousand rubles were found in the car of the Usoltsev family, who disappeared in the mountains of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. This was reported to Izvestia on November 12 by the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (IC RF). According to the agency, the money was in the glove compartment of the car. The Investigative Committee clarified that, according to relatives, the head of the family, Sergei Usoltsev, often left cash in the car.
According to the investigation, the couple and their daughter were allegedly moving towards the "stone of desires" located on Mount Malvinka. The Investigative Committee clarified that this version is based on witness testimony and is currently being considered as one of the working ones in the investigation.
However, no records or personal belongings of the Usoltsev family were found during the search. This was announced on October 30 by Yulia Arbuzova, press secretary of the Department of the Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia.
Special attention of the public was attracted by the fact that Sergey Usoltsev's page on the VKontakte social network was displayed online a week after the family disappeared on October 3. This circumstance has given rise to various versions, including speculation about a technical malfunction or the possible contact of one of the family members. The Investigative Committee explained that Sergei Usoltsev had two phones — a personal and a work phone, and it was probably the second device that received the signals, which was not with him.
What is known about the missing family
The head of the family that disappeared in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Sergei Usoltsev, had previously been brought to administrative responsibility and had been involved in the implementation of American programs in the past. As Izvestia found out, in 2024, an administrative case was initiated against Usoltsev under the article on violations in the financial and tax sphere, as a result of which he was fined. He received another administrative penalty in 2020 for violating the legislation on state registration of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs.
Sergey Usoltsev is the founder of the International Development Center — Zheleznogorsk LLC. In 2021, he was fined 5,000 rubles for providing false information about the address of the company he headed.
In addition, as Izvestia established, in the late 1990s, Usoltsev participated in the implementation of the American Atomic Cities Initiative program, launched by the US Department of Energy. This activity made him a prominent figure in the business environment of Zheleznogorsk.
According to the RT TV channel, on October 14, Usoltsev was supposed to report on the expenditure of the state grants received, but by that time he had already disappeared with his family. It is also noted that significant funds remained in the bank accounts of Usoltsev himself and his company.
Irina Usoltseva, according to open sources, was engaged in various spiritual and psychological practices, worked as a psychologist and ran a popular blog in which she shared advice with women, helping them build harmonious relationships and achieve family well-being.
At the same time, the version about the possible departure of the Usoltsev family abroad was also not confirmed during witness interviews. This was announced on January 5 by Yana Syrymbetova, deputy head of the first directorate for the investigation of particularly important cases of the regional investigative department.
According to her, the possibility of the family's escape outside the country was carefully checked, but no confirmation of this version was received. During the searches in the Usoltsevs' house, expired passports were found with notes about previous trips abroad, but they did not take the valid documents with them and did not apply for new passports.
The investigator stressed that, if desired, the family could leave the country unhindered, however, according to relatives, they had no prerequisites for a sudden departure without warning.
The main versions of what happened
The disappearance of the bodies of the Usoltsev family in the taiga of the Krasnoyarsk Territory may have several possible explanations. This was told by Alexander Aulov, a forensic expert, colonel of the medical service of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in reserve.
According to him, one of the versions is that the bodies could be covered with snow and temporarily inaccessible to detection, and with the onset of spring appear on the surface. As another option, the expert mentioned the impact of wild animals that could completely gnaw the remains. At the same time, Aulov did not rule out a scenario in which the family could not die, but leave in an unknown direction, he said in a comment to the publication. aif.ru .
The expert stressed that if remains damaged by animals are found, it will be possible to identify the victims solely with the help of a genetic examination.
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