A Russian mother who believed she could tame her convicted sex killer boyfriend was left devastated after the man allegedly murdered her young daughter.
Ekaterina Sholokhova, a prison officer, started a relationship with Nikita Silnov on his release from an 11-year sentence in her jail, hoping he would be a changed man.
But the ex-convict is now on
Russia's federal wanted list after he is suspected of strangling his girlfriend's 13-year-old daughter, Viktoria Kravtsova.
Silnov, 33, had been released from jail in 2019 after securing early release from a 15-year sentence for 'murder involving rape'.
He served 11 years and then moved in with Ekaterina, a prison service ensign who he had met during his sentence.
The 40-year-old prison guard was in hospital and left her daughter with her boyfriend in Nelidovo, Tver region near Moscow.
She received a call from Viktoria who told her mother that she was taking the dog for a walk. But the girl did not answer messages afterwards.
Ekaterina became suspicious when her boyfriend, Silnov, also stopped answering his phone.
She then asked the emergency services to check her flat. When officers broke into the woman's home, they found the schoolgirl's body.
The ex-convict had vanished, along with Ekaterina's laptop, credit cards and fur coat.
Russian police are investigating whether the young girl was raped before she was killed with a scarf.
