Dmitry and Natalia Baksheevy

Dmitry Baksheev and Natalia Baksheeva were a couple from Krasnodar, Russia, whose names became associated with a highly publicized criminal investigation after police linked a lost mobile phone to the killing and dismemberment of a local woman. The pair lived together from 2012 in a room in a school dormitory that Natalia had inherited from a former husband. Accounts of their lives describe an antisocial domestic situation. Natalia had previously worked as a senior nurse in the sanitation department of the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School of pilots, but reportedly lost that job because of chronic alcoholism. Dmitry worked in apartment repair and general labor and had prior convictions for robbery and car theft, although those convictions had been extinguished by the time of the later case. The investigation began after road workers found Dmitry's lost phone and reported photographs stored on it to police. The images reportedly showed Dmitry posing with human remains, including a severed hand. He initially claimed that he had discovered the remains in bushes, but later confessed to killing a woman. Investigators identified the victim as Elena Vakhrusheva, a Krasnodar resident. According to the case account, Vakhrusheva was killed on September 8 during an alcohol-fueled gathering. A quarrel developed between Vakhrusheva and Natalia, after which Natalia instructed Dmitry to kill her and participated in the attack. Vakhrusheva died from multiple stab wounds. The couple then dismembered the body, retaining some remains at their residence and discarding others nearby. A search of the residence and adjacent areas recovered human remains and other material that was sent for examination. Initial media reports and online discussion rapidly expanded the case into a sensational story about a supposed family of serial killers and cannibals. Allegations circulated that the couple had been killing people for many years, that they had prepared or distributed human flesh, and that numerous victims were involved. Russian investigative authorities repeatedly stated that they had found no confirmation of a wider series of cannibalistic murders. One official account reported that the remains recovered in the apartment belonged to a single person. The more extreme claims therefore remained allegations or rumors rather than established findings in the criminal case. Natalia was convicted in February 2019 for inducing or assisting the murder and received a ten-year sentence in a penal colony, together with an additional custodial term reported in case summaries. Her appeal did not change the result. Dmitry was sentenced on June 28, 2019, to twelve years and two months in a maximum-security prison, with compulsory supervision and psychiatric treatment ordered. He died in custody on February 16, 2020, reportedly from untreated type 1 diabetes. The case is chiefly remembered as a Russian criminal incident and as an example of how limited confirmed facts can become surrounded by sensational and subsequently disputed media narratives.

Dmitry Baksheev was born on January 28, 1982. Natalia Baksheeva, née Shaporenko, was born on January 25, 1975. Both were associated with Krasnodar in southern Russia. Natalia reportedly worked as a senior nurse in the sanitation department of the Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School of pilots before being dismissed because of chronic alcoholism. Dmitry earned a living through apartment repairs and general labor. He had previously been convicted of robbery and car theft, but those convictions were no longer active when the later investigation took place. The couple had lived together since 2012 in a dormitory room inherited by Natalia from a former husband. Descriptions of their household portray them as socially isolated and living an antisocial lifestyle. Their case came to public attention after Dmitry lost a mobile phone. Road workers found it and notified police after seeing disturbing photographs on the device. The reported images included Dmitry posing with human remains. When first questioned, he claimed that he had found the remains in vegetation, but he subsequently admitted involvement in the death of a woman. Investigators identified the deceased as Elena Vakhrusheva, who was born on March 5, 1982, in Omutninsk and lived in Krasnodar. The killing took place on September 8 during a gathering at which alcohol was consumed. A quarrel arose between Natalia and Vakhrusheva. According to the prosecution account summarized in reference material, Natalia told Dmitry to kill Vakhrusheva and took an active part in the attack. Vakhrusheva sustained multiple stab wounds and died. The couple then dismembered her body, keeping some remains in their home and discarding other parts in the surrounding area. Searches of the apartment, basement, and nearby property resulted in the seizure of human remains and other material. Some food and frozen meat fragments were sent for forensic examination. On September 28, an investigative official stated that the remains found in the apartment belonged to one person. The authorities also opened a procedural review concerning the circulation of photographs from Dmitry's phone. Those images helped create the public narrative that the couple were serial-killer cannibals. That narrative soon expanded beyond the evidence publicly confirmed by investigators. Reports and rumors alleged that the couple had hunted victims since 1999, tortured people, prepared dishes from human remains, or supplied preserved human flesh to a school or local catering businesses. Other claims attributed numerous murders to Natalia or linked Dmitry to an earlier killing. Investigative authorities repeatedly denied having evidence of such a series and stated that the case concerned one confirmed murder. Claims about large quantities of preserved human body parts, recipes, or commercial distribution were consequently treated as unverified sensational reporting rather than established facts. Natalia was convicted in February 2019 for inducing or assisting the murder. She received a ten-year sentence in a penal colony, along with an additional custodial term reported in summaries of the judgment. Her appeal was rejected. On June 28, 2019, Dmitry was sentenced to twelve years and two months in a maximum-security prison, with compulsory supervision and psychiatric treatment. He died in custody on February 16, 2020. Reference accounts attribute his death to untreated type 1 diabetes. The Baksheev case remains notable both for the confirmed homicide and for the intense rumor cycle that followed the release of disturbing images and early reports.

• 2020

  Dmitry Baksheev died in custody

  [1]Dmitry and Natalia Baksheevyen.wikipedia.org

  Dmitry died while imprisoned, with reference accounts attributing the death to untreated type 1 diabetes.

• 2019

  Natalia Baksheeva was convicted

  [1]Dmitry and Natalia Baksheevyen.wikipedia.org

  Natalia was convicted for her role in the murder and received a ten-year penal-colony sentence; her appeal did not alter the judgment.

• 2019

  Dmitry Baksheev received a prison sentence

  [1]Dmitry and Natalia Baksheevyen.wikipedia.org

  Dmitry was sentenced to twelve years and two months in a maximum-security prison, with supervision and psychiatric treatment ordered.

• 2017

  The investigation became public

  [1]Dmitry and Natalia Baksheevyen.wikipedia.org

  A lost phone containing disturbing photographs led road workers to contact police and investigators to examine the death and dismemberment of Elena Vakhrusheva.

• 2017

  Authorities disputed the wider serial-killing rumors

  [1]Dmitry and Natalia Baksheevyen.wikipedia.org

  Investigators reported that the recovered remains belonged to one person and said they had no confirmation of a larger series of cannibalistic murders.

• 2012

  The couple began living together

  [1]Dmitry and Natalia Baksheevyen.wikipedia.org

  Dmitry Baksheev and Natalia Baksheeva reportedly began living together in a dormitory room in Krasnodar.

• 2017

  Murder and dismemberment investigation

  The couple were investigated after the killing and dismemberment of Elena Vakhrusheva. Both were later convicted in connection with the murder.

  Source

• 2017

  Unsubstantiated serial-killing and cannibalism rumors

  Sensational reports alleged multiple victims, cannibalistic practices, and distribution of human flesh. Investigators said they had no evidence confirming a wider series of murders.

  Source

Read more

• 2017

  Investigators broadened the initial murder inquiry to a group-murder chargeOther

  Background

  The investigation initially proceeded as a murder case and was later presented as involving both members of the couple.

  Action taken

  Authorities pursued charges against Dmitry and Natalia and referred the case to a special-importance investigative department.

  Aftermath

  Natalia and Dmitry were subsequently convicted for their respective roles in the killing.

  Source

1. 1Dmitry and Natalia Baksheevyen.wikipedia.org