The Unsolved Mystery of the Missing Girls in Yakutia — Even the Nation’s Top Criminalists Are Stumped

Ayanа Vinokurova and Alina Ivanova came to visit family but vanished without a trace. Despite more than ten years of relentless efforts, no leads have emerged to solve their disappearance.

The summer of 2013 in the remote village of Sinsk was expected to be ordinary. Locals went about their daily lives while many children visited grandparents to enjoy the warm sun. Among them were three-year-olds Alina and Ayanа. On June 28, the girls went out to play in the yard as usual — but then they disappeared without a trace. Search efforts were launched twice, covering air, land, and water. Despite involvement from canine units and the country’s best investigators, no trail was ever found.

A Village Where Strangers Remain Strangers

Residents of Sinsk share that their village still lacks a proper road connecting it comfortably to larger cities. “From Yakutsk, the only relatively comfortable access is via the Lena River — by boat upstream in summer and over the ice road along the shore in winter. The distance is about 230 kilometers,” a local told KP.ru.

In this quiet, peaceful, and seemingly typical village live about 850 people. Yet locals prefer solitude and avoid building friendly relationships. Perhaps this is why on that fateful day, no one noticed two three-year-old girls playing in a yard before they vanished into thin air.

Alina Ivanova had come to stay temporarily with her grandparents from Yakutsk while waiting for a kindergarten spot. Her friend Ayanа Vinokurova had lived there a bit longer. The girls spent much time together, playing outdoors and delighting in their grandmother’s cooking. Being the only children and grandchildren around, they were closely watched — until one day they were left unattended, leading to tragedy.

On June 28 around 5:30 PM, Alina’s grandmother, Olga Ivanova, left on errands, asking her husband Gavrila to watch over the girls. He agreed and let the three-year-olds play in the yard. The last time he saw them was around 7:30 PM when they left the yard and went outside. At 7:45 PM, Gavrila called his wife, saying he needed to leave for work but assured her not to worry, as the children were probably playing near the trailer. Olga returned 15 minutes later but found neither girl. She questioned neighbors, who denied seeing anyone. By 1:00 AM, she reported the disappearance to the police, and the search began immediately.

Search for the Missing Girls and Initial Theories

Reports say around 350 people participated in the operation — professional rescuers, volunteers, locals, and police officers. Over 40 vehicles, including drones and helicopters, patrolled the area regularly, while boats combed every inch of nearby waters. Initially, investigators believed the girls might have wandered into the forest, got lost, or fallen off a cliff. But one local search participant recalled:

“I spent many days in the forest with local men and rescuers. Walking through bushes and tall grass was hard for me, an adult man. Would children go there? No way! Other rescuers searched the Sinyaya River, suspecting the girls fell off the cliff into the water. But there are bushes that would have caught them. Divers searched multiple times but found nothing.”

Arkady Shadrin, another villager, dismissed the theory of a wild animal attack, which was once widely discussed. He said, “The distance from the forest edge to the Ivanov house is about 300 meters, mostly potato fields. Even if a bear attacked near the forest, there would be traces — torn clothing, sandals, a hat, blood stains. There was nothing.”

Once all mundane explanations were ruled out, people realized the case had criminal undertones. Police inspected every vacant house, shed, well, and cellar but only found bags containing dead dogs. Then Yakutia’s governor, Yegor Borisov, announced a staggering reward of 15,000 USD for information leading to the girls. Former Interior Minister Viktor Koshelev personally reviewed all tips but found no breakthroughs.

Emerging Theories

The incident shocked Sinsk, and the lack of clues sparked wild theories. Some believed aliens abducted the girls; others suggested time and space travel. More rational residents speculated a cunning criminal kidnapped and sold the children’s organs or that cultists were involved. The families had no known enemies, and who would come to such a remote place to abduct children? The traffic accident theory was also dismissed — speeds are limited to 12 mph in the village, and all vehicles were checked early in the investigation, many having been unused for years.

The village head recalled, “People seemed to lose their minds, suspecting each other. They searched homes, yards, and trimmed all grass near fences, fearing bodies or belongings might be hidden. They locked cellars. Police accused villagers of obstructing the investigation, and villagers criticized police for ineffective searching.”

The search command center was set up in a local school. According to a report by Oleg Merzin, head of the Investigative Committee for Yakutia, about 1,800 people were interviewed and over 20 expert examinations conducted. “We first checked all convicts and psychiatric patients — 41 individuals. Sixty-two teenagers were also checked but found uninvolved. Nearby villages were investigated — no leads,” the report stated.

During yard searches with dogs, all storage rooms, basements, sheds, and even cesspools were inspected. Once, smoke was seen coming from a chimney; police investigated, collected ash for analysis, but found nothing. The homeowner was detained for several days.

Weeks after the disappearance, forensic expert Dmitry Kiryukhin visited Sinsk and confidently declared the girls had been murdered:

“Before going to Sinsk, I reviewed all theories. After the trip, only one remained — the girls were killed. Unfortunately, too much time was wasted. The investigation hesitated to accept the case was criminal initially. The village should have been sealed and searched thoroughly right away. That delay allowed the perpetrator to remain free.”

The chief forensic consultant suggested focusing on murder and searching for a pedophile. All men aged 14 and older became suspects, but the list narrowed as psychological profiling indicated:

“The perpetrator loves small children, and they are drawn to him. It makes sense — the girls wouldn’t approach a stranger. When suspicion arose, the criminal likely returned to create an alibi by participating in the search, making sure everyone saw him. He must have a secure hiding place unknown to others and possibly a mental disorder.”

Eventually, 32-year-old neighbor Vasily Latyshev matched the profile. This discovery alarmed villagers, who were convinced he was responsible for the girls' deaths. However, his motives and the whereabouts of the bodies remained unknown.

Eleven months later, on May 9, 2014, the prime suspect died. Some claimed suicide, others suspected revenge by grieving villagers. The village head said, “Vasily was sensitive and unstable mentally. Though he loved people and helped everyone, the forensic exam confirmed suicide. The case was reportedly not reopened. Perhaps guilt or harassment drove him.”

His father recalled that on June 28, 2013, Vasily came home tired, parked his tractor at the gate, and dined. When the search started, he joined everyone looking for the girls. “He had a Mercury motorboat and often helped police, shamans, and villagers. They called him to school, shouted, ‘Confess, you did it!’ He was held for 10 hours then released. He cried from the injustice,” the man said. Blood traces were found on his clothes but belonged to a pig he slaughtered the day before.

A New Suspect Emerges

Shocking new details spread through the village when rumors surfaced that Gavrila Ivanov, Alina’s grandfather, confessed to accidentally running over the girls with a reversing vehicle. Allegedly, to cover it up, he quickly buried the bodies. His strange behavior — not joining the search and inconsistent statements — supported this claim.

Though he twice signed confessions, he repeatedly retracted them. He even escorted investigators to the alleged burial site in the forest, but nothing was found. Villagers believed police pressured him too hard for a confession. A photo circulated on social media showing Gavrila with a large bruise and swollen eye in police custody. Former Yakut Investigative Committee head Oleg Merzin commented:

“Our information shows his injuries occurred before police questioning; officers are not involved. We have a statement from his wife and will investigate the injury source.”

Gavrila continues living at home and remains a suspect but refuses to discuss the events.

Psychics Step In

Desperate mothers turned to two of the country’s most renowned psychics hoping for answers. One claimed the girls were alive and could still be saved; the other insisted they were dead and buried. A local seer said she contacted the girls, who described being in a noisy building surrounded by people in white coats and a woman dressed in black. Another psychic, holding photos of the late great-grandfather and the girls, concluded the abductors frequently moved the children. Each psychic offered a different version.

A local resident said involving psychics was a grave mistake: “They indicated houses to search and people to question. One sorcerer lit matches, held one to Vasily Latyshev’s face, and declared, ‘He killed them.’ Vasily became fearful of prison and the tragedy worsened.”

The Investigation Continues

Search efforts for Ayanа Vinokurova and Alina Ivanova have paused due to lack of new information. Alexey Ivanov, father of one of the missing girls, shared, “After all these years, no clues, witnesses, or traces have been found.” The families still hold hope their daughters will be found and reveal what happened during those long years.

Photos: Shutterstock/FOTODOM, https://www.krsk.kp.ru/daily/1712106/4346331/

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