In central Russia, the bodies of a young couple who vanished nearly a decade ago have been found in the Volga River. Ilya Zhirnov, 25, and Kira Cherkasova, 22, went missing in December 2005 after Ilya borrowed his father’s car to pick up Kira from work.
Their remains were discovered in a car at the river’s bottom in the Chuvash Republic, over ten years later. Authorities identified them using car documentation that survived underwater.
The couple’s families had been left in the dark, as police had to close the case due to a lack of evidence. A local diver found the car while searching near a beach and alerted the police, who later retrieved it. Authorities believe the couple may have died in an accident on icy roads. An ongoing police investigation will reveal more details.