Police in Yekaterinburg have opened an investigation into the gruesome murder of three children
FILEPHOTO. © Sputnik / Alexey Filippov
Law enforcement officials in Yekaterinburg, the fourth-largest city in Russia, have launched a criminal investigation into the gruesome murder of three children, as media reports suggest their mother had thought her kids were possessed by demons.
The Investigative Committee for the Kirovsky District in the city of Ekaterinburg said they have opened a criminal case on the grounds of the “murder of two or more minors,” according to the department’s press release on Monday.
As part of the investigation, teams of forensic specialists and operatives have been sent to the scene, while neighbors and the owners of the apartment where the murders occurred are being interviewed. Police are going door-to-door to find out more details about the incident and learn more about the family.
Some Russian media outlets have reported that the 37-year-old woman had mental issues. One source told Izvestia that she may have decided to smother her children – two boys aged ten and 15, as well as a five-month-old girl – believing they had been possessed by demons, which is something she had allegedly told her relatives prior to the murders.
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Police say they will come out with a full statement on the incident once they finish investigating different versions of events and establish whether the family was registered and why they were renting an apartment.
Igor Morokov, the commissioner for children’s rights in the region, said he will also be taking part in the investigation and on Tuesday will start determining who had contact with the family and to find out if there were any tipoffs or flags that could have helped predict this tragic incident.
