AI named GPS failure as the probable cause of the death of the Usoltsevs in the taiga

The Usoltsev family, who disappeared in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in September 2025, could have fallen victim to a technical malfunction of the navigator and fallen into the gorge. The newspaper came to this conclusion on May 24. aif.ru based on research using artificial intelligence (AI).

To analyze the causes of the incident, the publication used a neural network that processed data on the weather, the nature of the terrain, GPS problems and the psychological portrait of the head of the family, Sergei Usoltsev.

The algorithms revealed that in the area of the Pinocchio tract there is a zone with a complex texture overlay on satellite maps. Because of this, kurumniki — stone scree — are mistakenly displayed on digital maps as smooth passable surfaces, hiding deep crevices beneath them.

An additional factor in the technical failure is the sudden height differences at the foot of the Mansky pillars, which increases the positioning error of the navigator to 50 m when the battery is low. aif.ru . In conditions of poor visibility, the device could lead the Usoltsevs to a cliff, making them believe that there was a safe path ahead. The probability of a family falling into a hidden crevice 1.5 km from the car is estimated by AI at 85%.

AI also assessed the likelihood of Sergey Usoltsev's forcible capture due to his business. Based on the statistics of abductions over the past 20 years, the neural network notes that the possibility of this scenario is 45%. The journalists did not find any signs of a staged escape, estimating its probability at only 15%.

The case of the Usoltsev family: the latest details and the role of neural networks in the search for the missing family

New large-scale searches will begin in the spring of 2026 using neural networks.

On that day, the press service of the Rescue Search and rescue unit (KGKU) reported that specialists, at the request of the investigative authorities, were participating in a repeat four-day search operation near the village of Kuturchin in the Mansko-Uyarsky district, where the Usoltsev family disappeared. Five people and four pieces of equipment are involved in the search and rescue operations.

On May 15, the Rescue squad announced that volunteers had resumed the search for the Usoltsev family, who had disappeared in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Later, on May 16, a representative of the LizaAlert detachment, Serafima Choodu, said that deep snow prevented the volunteers from actively searching for the missing family in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

The loss of the Usoltsev family in the Minsk Loop area, when they were heading to Mount Pinocchio, was reported on September 28, 2025. As a result of the search, more than 515 km of forest roads and 40 square kilometers of woodlands were explored.