Horrific details of mother's rape and murder on solo kayak trip
WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: A man is standing trial for rape and murder after he allegedly beat up, strangled and stabbed a young mum of one.
The primary defendant has been named as Alexei Yeremeev, 43, and he stands accused of having raped and murdered Anastasia Pykhteeva, 35, after she travelled to the Sverdlovsk Oblast region in Russia's Ural Mountains to kayak solo down the River Chusovaya.
His partner and co-defendant, who has been named as Olga Vaseva but her age has not been reported, is alleged to have been his accomplice in the alleged crimes.
Ms Pykhteeva was reportedly an experienced traveller who had gone hiking regularly since she was 18.
A relative reportedly said she had travelled all over the Ural Mountains in recent years.
She especially enjoyed exploring caves and discovering abandoned villages.
Ms Pykhteeva usually travelled as part of a tour group, but this time she went alone.
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She left her son, Vitya, with her mother and reportedly told her she would pick him up after two days. But she never returned.
Yeremeev had reportedly noticed Ms Pykhteeva's tent on the evening of May 30, 2021.
He and Vaseva are said to have managed to gain the young woman's trust, but, in the middle of the night, they allegedly woke up and claimed her kayak had been stolen.
But this was allegedly a ruse to get her out into an open space.
Ms Pykhteeva was then allegedly held down by Vaseva while Yeremeev is accused of delivering at least nine blows to her head, and at least 51 blows to her upper body and limbs with a wooden pole.
The mother of one was then allegedly partially strangled before being raped.
Ms Pykhteeva was finally stabbed six times in the neck and head, which caused her death.
Couple caught after allegedly using mum's bank card
The couple then allegedly lived in her tent for a few days, using the victim's bank card to buy items including food and alcohol from the shops.
They were arrested in the Oleni Ruchi natural park after investigators tracked them down using the 35-year-old's bank statements.
Ms Pykhteeva's body was found the following day. She hailed from the neighbouring region of Perm Krai and leaves behind a three-year-old son.
In addition to rape and murder, Yeremeev is also charged with robbery, theft and 'other acts of a sexual nature'.
He also stands accused of having left his residence without permission as he had recently been released from prison – where he had served time for rape, theft, robbery and possession of ammunition – with conditions.
Yeremeev faces a life sentence.
It is currently unclear how many years behind bars his alleged accomplice faces.
– Australscope
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