Family burdens: ex-candidate for mayor of Moscow suspected of murdering pregnant daughter-in-law

Alexander and Natalia Dontsov, the son and mother whom Interpol is looking for on suspicion of murdering a pregnant woman in Germany, live and work in Moscow, Izvestia found out. According to German investigators, in 2024, Natalia Dontsova stabbed her daughter-in-law, Aigul Sailybayeva, a citizen of Kazakhstan, during an argument and hurriedly left the country. And her son, the victim's husband, allegedly disposed of the body and other evidence. Later, Alexander left Germany with his young daughter. Izvestia correspondents visited the Moscow apartment where the Dontsovs currently live and spoke with Alexander, who denied all charges. Meanwhile, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has also begun checking these facts. Natalia Dontsova is known for being one of the candidates for the Moscow mayoral election in 2018. The details of the case are in our material.

The body is in the suitcase

The parents of Aigul Sailybayeva, an ex-judge from Kazakhstan, whose body was found in Germany in 2024, last spoke with her on June 3, 2024. Then the woman stopped contacting.

"I called her husband, but he's not answering. I sent him a text message: "Where is Aigul? Why don't you answer?" He texted: "I'm in class, everything is fine with us," Burkut Sailybayev, the father of the murdered woman, told Izvestia.

Aigul Sailybayeva moved to Germany in 2019 with her husband Alexander Dontsov and their young daughter Jacqueline. As follows from the case file, she repeatedly complained in messages to her friends about conflicts with her husband and mother-in-law Natalia Dontsova. She believed that her husband's mother "saw her as a rival and interfered in their relationship."

"After [Aigul Sailybayeva] took her daughter to kindergarten on the morning of June 4, 2024, an argument broke out between the victim and the accused. In a fit of rage, the accused decided to kill the victim," the arrest warrant for Natalia Dontsova says (Izvestia has it). The document was issued on July 8, 2024 by the district court of the German city of Darmstadt.

At the time of her death, Aigul Sailybayeva was six months pregnant. The case file states that her mother—in-law hit her twice with a heavy object on the head, and then inflicted "several targeted stabs in the neck" - the woman died on the spot. On the same day, Dontsova told her son about the incident and flew to Russia. The footage from the airport shows that the suspect's arm is bandaged.

— Natalia immediately left Germany on June 4-5, and at five in the morning she flew to Moscow via Istanbul. Alexander Dontsov, according to the case file, called her a taxi to the airport," the mother of the murdered Sholpan Batkalova told Izvestia.

Aigul Sailybayeva's husband, Alexander Dontsov, did not contact the police, and her brother filed a missing person's report through the consulate. Later, he flew to Germany and began an independent search for his sister, along with volunteers. According to eyewitnesses, Alexander Dontsov did not participate in the search.

The body of a woman was found in a lake on the outskirts of the city of Bensheim — in a bag in a suitcase.

"To hide the traces of the crime committed by his mother, Alexander Dontsov brought the corpse to Lake Erlache on June 16. The body was found a few hours later. Preliminary autopsy results (postmortem autopsy. - Ed.) indicate that the victim died from blunt force trauma to the head and wounds to the neck," the investigation documents say.

In addition, the deceased was doused with acid or a chemical compound — the woman "had no face, neck or hair," the victim's mother claims. During a search of the house where Aigul Sailybayeva lived with her husband, the police found traces of blood. The examination showed that they belonged to the deceased and the suspect.

Izvestia found suspects in Moscow

A few months after his wife's death, Alexander Dontsov took his little daughter to Russia, granting her citizenship in an expedited manner. German investigators have put Dontsova on the wanted list through Interpol, and in Kazakhstan, both Dontsova's mother and son are involved in a criminal case of torture.

"Dontsova N.N. is suspected that in the period from November 18, 2020 to January 19, 2024, in prior agreement with her son, Dontsov A.A., she inflicted mental and physical suffering on her daughter—in-law, Sailybayeva A.B., who was financially and otherwise dependent on them. On June 4, 2024, the murder of Sailybayeva A.B. was committed in Germany," the decree of December 2025 says (available to the editorial staff).

As Izvestia found out, Alexander and Natalia Dontsov now live and work in Moscow. When the newspaper's correspondents came to their apartment, the man completely denied involvement in the crime.

"They lied a lot, they showed a lot of misinformation, don't fall for these bandit methods, people," he said.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation began checking on February 1, 2026, after a REN TV story that those involved in the murder of Aigul Sailybayeva may be in Moscow.

"The parents of the deceased appealed to the chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin. The Chairman of the Investigative Committee instructed the head of the GSU of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the city of Moscow, D. V. Belyaev, to report on the progress of the procedural audit," the department's Telegram channel reported.

According to the Izvestia source, the next day, the mother and son were summoned to the Investigative Committee, but Natalia Dontsova refused to testify, citing Article 51 of the Constitution "On the right not to testify against oneself."

What could threaten the defendants

If the investigation proves that Natalia and Alexander Dontsov were involved in the murder by prior agreement, they could face a sentence of up to life in prison, says Albert Khaleyan, partner of the Vector Prime Moscow Bar Association.

"When one person involved takes a person's life, and the second person contributes to it (for example, helps in hiding traces), this qualifies as murder by a group of people by prior agreement," he explained. "This is an aggravated murder. The minimum threshold for this article is eight years. But with such a combination of aggravating circumstances — special cruelty, group conspiracy, pregnancy of the victim — the probability of a life sentence is high.

At the same time, based on judicial practice, the punishment for accomplices is usually milder, said Veronika Polyakova, a criminal defense lawyer and managing partner of the Business Legal Group Bar Association.

Investigating crimes committed on the territory of one country while suspects are in another is one of the most difficult tasks for law enforcement agencies, Albert Haleyan said.

—Effectiveness depends on international cooperation, which is seriously hampered in the current geopolitical conditions," the lawyer noted. — The investigation is being conducted by the state in whose territory the crime was committed, that is, Germany. German investigators are collecting evidence, identifying suspects, and putting forward theories. As soon as it becomes clear that the suspects have fled to another country, in this case Russia, the case becomes international.

Germany may request the extradition of citizens suspected of murder in order to try them, says Oleg Kim, a lawyer and partner at the Legal Advisor law office. However, if the suspects are citizens of the Russian Federation or are in Russia, the Investigative Committee has the right to initiate its own case, Veronika Polyakova added.

— As a result, a parallel investigation is possible. Specific deadlines are always individual and can be lengthy in such cases," she noted.

At the request of the German side, the lawyer added, Russian investigators can interrogate witnesses, conduct searches or demand documents, and the Russian Federation can request from Germany the results of a forensic examination and surveillance camera recordings.