Missing Couple's Bodies Found In Rubber Bins Inside Storage Unit; 1 Arrested
A 37-year-old man is facing charges in connection with the deaths of a gay couple, whose bodies were found in a storage unit in Massachusetts.
Leonid Volkov, of Medford, was arrested Saturday night after officers confirmed that the remains of Kiryl Schukin, 37, and Pavel Vekshin, 28, were located inside a storage unit in Brighton.
Schukin and Vekshin were reported missing by their friends and coworkers on April 9. Medford police said nobody had seen or heard from the two missing men since March 30, reported New York Post.
Investigators found that Volkov was known to the victims prior to their deaths. Schukin was a guarantor on the lease for Volkov's apartment in Medford. The suspect was evicted after Schukin recently declined to be the guarantor on the lease extension.
Volkov was captured on video entering and exiting the couple's Locust Street apartment building in the days after the two men were last seen.
Officials also learned that Volkov had met Schukin in a rented U-Haul truck, which the suspect was seen driving on March 29. The same truck was used to transport items from the married couple's apartment to the storage facility, where investigators found the bodies.
The storage unit was reportedly rented by Volkov using Schukin's name.
Investigators executed a search warrant at the storage facility and found Schukin and Vekshin's bodies inside rubber storage bins, police said in a news release Saturday. Schukin's body was dismembered and the remains were found in several bins inside the storage unit.
"The body of a man, tentatively identified as Kiryl Schukin, had been dismembered. Bleach, rubber gloves and items belonging to the deceased were also located," the Medford Police Department said.
The deaths were ruled a homicide. The chief medical examiner said the bodies had multiple stab wounds, according to WCVB Channel 5 Boston.
Volkov was arrested and charged with murder. He could face additional charges as the investigation continues. The suspect is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Somerville District Court.
"In this particular case where the subjects are known to each other and we have the suspect in custody, we strongly believe there is no danger to the community," Medford Chief of Police Jack Buckley said.
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