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Kids spend three days with parents' bodies after 'pickle poisoning'

Two children lived with their parents’ bodies for three days after they suddenly died from reportedly eating poisoned pickles.

Alexander Yakunin, 30, and his 25-year-old wife, Viktoria, were recently found dead in their home in Bolshoye Kuzomkino, Russia, after relatives became concerned when the couple and their two young children missed a family gathering, according to local publication 78.ru.

When Mr Yakunin’s sister Natalya, 36, rang the family, his five-year-old daughter answered the phone and said her parents had been “sleeping” for a long time.

She also said her dad had turned black, the publication said.

Alexander Yakunin, 30, and his 25-year-old wife Viktoria on their wedding day.
Alexander Yakunin, 30, and his 25-year-old wife Viktoria, were recently found dead in their home in Bolshoye Kuzomkino, Russia. Source: 78.ru.

When Natalya arrived at the home, the girl opened the door and she saw the couple’s one-year-old son standing in the entrance wearing a nappy.

“I ran in…I turned around and saw everything. I fell and screamed,” Natalya said about the moment she saw the couple’s bodies in bed.

Mr Yakunin, a gas plant worker, and his wife were covered by a blanket.

The 36-year-old threw a jacket over the children and rushed them out of the apartment before calling the police.

The couple’s deaths remain a mystery, but a possible cause under investigation is a homemade jar of pickles found open in the kitchen, according to the publication.

Pictured is the family's apartment complex. Source: 78.ru.
Mr Yakunin, a gas plant worker, and his wife were found in bed covered by a blanket. Source: 78.ru.

The night before he died, Mr Yakunin picked the children up from kindergarten and stopped at his grandmother’s place, picking up a bag of potatoes and pickles from her.

There is a suspicion the “happy” couple had ingested Botulinum toxin from the pickles, the publication reported.

Autopsies and toxicological exams on their bodies are underway to confirm the cause of death.

Friends and family are stunned but the couple’s sudden and shocking passing.

“They said that they would bury them in closed coffins. Generally shocked. Nobody knows what happened,” Mr Yakunin’s mum told 78.ru.

Neighbours said the family were good people, and Mr Yakunin loved his wife and children and was hardworking.

Viktoria’s mum said the couple were always “happy and smiling” and making plans for their future.

Mr Yakunin’s family will take legal guardianship of the children.

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