The tragedy in the forest: details of the murder of a girl in the Leningrad region

A criminal investigation into the murder of a 12-year-old schoolgirl who disappeared after hiking in the forest for mushrooms continues in the Leningrad region. Police officers, volunteers of the LizaAlert search team and local residents searched for the girl, but a day later her body was found in a wooded area of Tosnensky district with signs of violent death. This morning, law enforcement officers detained a suspect who, according to the Russian Interior Ministry, confessed to the crime. Details of the tragedy can be found in the Izvestia article.

The last conversation with the family and the search for the girl

The girl disappeared on the afternoon of July 2 in the Tosnensky district of the Leningrad region. That day, she went to the forest to pick chanterelles. At about 17:00, the schoolgirl contacted her parents for the last time and informed them that she was already returning home.

The child's mother, Tatiana Naumova, later told Izvestia that her daughter knew the area well and went home after picking mushrooms. "She said that she has a clearing of chanterelles there, she has collected them and is returning home. Using the cameras, we tracked how she left the area where she was picking chanterelles and went out onto the road between the orchards," the woman pointed out.

According to her, CCTV footage helped to restore the child's route. In the recordings, the girl is depicted in a yellow raincoat with a black backpack walking along the road between gardening towards home. These shots were the last in which the schoolgirl was seen alive.

When the child stopped contacting and did not return home, the relatives contacted law enforcement agencies. Police officers, investigators, volunteers from the LizaAlert search team and local residents immediately joined the search.

The search activities continued throughout the night and the next day, but ended tragically on the afternoon of July 3. The schoolgirl's body was found in the forest belt of the Tosnensky district. According to law enforcement agencies, signs of violent death were found on him.

Investigators and criminologists began work at the scene of the incident. After the discovery of the body, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code ("Murder"). The specialists had to establish the circumstances of the incident, collect physical evidence and restore the picture of the crime.

The suspect was detained while trying to escape

The crime was solved in less than a day after the discovery of the girl's body. On July 4, the Investigative Committee announced the arrest of the suspect. "As part of the investigation of the criminal case, a man born in 1984, suspected of committing this crime, was detained," the department said. The investigator has prepared a petition to the court for the election of a preventive measure in the form of detention.

According to the Russian Interior Ministry, the suspect was identified as a result of a complex of operational search measures. It turned out to be 42-year-old Fedor M., a resident of the Tosnensky district. According to law enforcement officials, the man had previously been convicted of robbery.

The arrest took place in the Gatchina district of the Leningrad region. According to the Interior Ministry, the suspect tried to escape by rail, but was discovered by police officers.

Irina Volk, the official representative of the Russian Interior Ministry, said that after the arrest, the man confessed to committing the crime. "My colleagues have detained a suspect in the murder of a girl in the Tosnensky district of the Leningrad region. He will be handed over to the investigative authorities in the near future," she wrote on the Maks messenger.

What is known about the suspect

According to the Izvestia source, the detained Fedor M. is a member of the board of the horticultural non-profit partnership Zakhozhye. He took part in landscaping and was well known to many gardening residents.

According to neighbors, the news of his arrest came as a complete surprise. Evgeny, Deputy chairman of the board of SNT, said that the man had never given the impression of an aggressive person.

"This is one of those rare people from whom we have never seen aggression. In everyday communication, in disputes, people show an aggressive tone increase. The man here was always smiling, always calm and balanced," he told Izvestia.

The suspect's wife also confirmed the fact of his detention. On the day of the crime, the husband returned home at about 19:00 Moscow time, she said. The woman also mentioned that there had been infidelities in the family, noting that this happens "like everyone else." She did not provide any other details.

The investigation of the criminal case is ongoing. Investigators will have to establish a motive for the crime, verify all the circumstances of the incident and consolidate the evidence base gathered.