TULA, August 2 (Itar-Tass) — The woman and her child, murdered in their apartment in the Tula region, were last seen on July 24, acting regional police chief Andrei Mishagin said on Tuesday.
“According to our information, the woman and her child were last seen by a seller at the bakery on July 24. Supposedly, the murder (of a family of five people) was committed overnight from July 24 to July 25,” Mishagin told Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev.
He said detectives would inspect the scene of crime a second time.
Nurgaliyev asked for regular updates on progress in the investigation. “You have detectives from the Interior Ministry’s central office. If you need more assistance, we’ll provide it immediately. The criminal must be found,” the minister said.
Acting Tula region governor Vladimir Gruzdev said he was sure the cruel murder would be solved. Gruzdev was appointed acting governor by presidential decree last Friday.
The victims of the massacre are a 60-year-old woman, her daughter, aged 35, and her grandsons, aged 5, 6, and 8. All the victims had severe head injuries.
The elder woman moved to the regional center four years ago. Prior to that, she worked for the Yekaterinburg diocese. In Tula, she was a singer at a monastery choir. Her daughter worked for a realtor firm. The grandmother was last seen in the second half of July as she was going to church.
Criminal proceedings were opened over Article 105, part 2 (murder of two or more persons).
Police are working on several leads, including the younger woman’s work as realtor. The criminal might have been an acquaintance of the family, police said.
Investigative Committee (SK) Alexander Bastrykin is in Tula to coordinate the investigation. Experienced personnel of the Interior Ministry are helping their SK colleagues.