Catherine S. († 34) had a dark premonition, a queasy feeling. She was sitting in the passenger seat of a silver car and typed on her cell phone: “I hope I’m not being kidnapped.” She sent the message to her mother. It was her last sign of life.
The young American disappeared from a bus stop in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, last Tuesday. There she studied law and lived with a host family.
Mother called her – cell phone off
40 minutes after Catherine S. had sent the text, her mother discovered the message. Desperate, she dialed her daughter’s number. In vain – her cell phone was already off.
Five days go by. Search parties move out. In a forest 400 kilometers east of Moscow, investigators finally find the body of the young woman.
Shortly thereafter, the police arrested Alexander P. * (43) – the driver of the silver car. Apparently he had offered the student to take her to the bus stop. Catherine S. was in a hurry, on her way to a beauty salon. Apparently to pay for treatment, her mother told US National Public Radio.
Raped, slain and stabbed
What Catherine S. did not know: The man behind the wheel was a convicted robber and rapist. Catherine’s mother continues: “I think she panicked when she saw that the person was not going to the clinic, but into a forest.”
This probably led to a dispute with Alexander P. The latter admits to having raped, beaten and stabbed Catherine S. thereupon. P. is now charged. If convicted, he faces life behind bars. (hah)
* Name known to the editor