A woman in northwestern Russia shared a bed with her husband’s mummified corpse for four years and performed ancient occult rituals with the body, police said, according to multiple reports.
The 50-year-old mother lived with the husband’s mummy at their home in Leningrad, according to 78.ru. A social worker checking on the family’s minor children Thursday discovered the mummified body and suspected it must be that of the husband, the outlet reported.
The woman had a spat with her husband in Dec. 2020, yelling at him and wishing him dead, according to the 78.ru. The husband then reportedly collapsed and died, but the wife thought he was pretending. Four hours later, the eldest daughter reportedly suspected that something was amiss and asked about her father. However, the mother threatened to take her daughter to an orphanage if she asked about her father again, 78.ru reported. The woman then reportedly bundled up her husband and carried him into the room.
The husband was identified as 49-year-old Vladimir and the wife as Svetlana, the New York Post (NYP) reported. The family had 11-year-old twin boys and two girls, ages eight and 17.
Officials found an Egyptian cross at the feet of the mummified husband in the six-bedroom house, as well as tarot cards, amulets, images of animal skulls and other mystical items, according to 47 news.ru. Authorities also reportedly found that one of the bedrooms held a makeshift shrine to Anubis, the jackal-headed ancient Egyptian god of funerary rites. (RELATED: Woman Accused Of Killing Her Parents And Dismembering Their Bodies With Chainsaw)
Russian wife shared bed with husband’s mummified corpse for 4 years, performed occult rituals https://t.co/ppkEtbVUIf pic.twitter.com/m9AqQQOeaE
— New York Post (@nypost) February 6, 2024
Svetlana performed rituals to preserve her husband’s body— claiming that it was Vladimir’s wish, instead of having him buried — while telling enquirers that her husband was away in Tibet seeking alternative treatment, according to the NYP. Vladimir reportedly had health problems with his feet because he refused to wear shoes even in freezing weather.
“A procedural decision will be made based on the results of a forensic medical examination of the body and the necessary verification activities, during which all the circumstances, as well as the causes and conditions of the incident, will be established,” read a translation of a Friday statement from the Leningrad Region Investigative Committee published by 47news.
Svetlana, a patient living with schizophrenia, was sent to a psychiatric hospital, 78.ru reported. Her four children were also taken to hospital for assessment, according to the NY Post.