Detectives in northeastern Spain said on Friday that they are treating the killings of a Russian woman and her daughter this week as a case of domestic violence The husband, a Russian former top gas executive who was also found dead, is the main suspect, ABC News reported.
A Girona regional police spokeswoman said investigators have ruled that the slayings were not related to any criminal gang activity or to a similar case this week in Moscow, the outlet also reported.
On Tuesday, Police Found the Bodies of Two Russian Women in Bed With Stab Wounds in Lloret de Mar.
On Tuesday, authorities found the bodies of two Russian women, a 53-year-old mother and an 18-year-old daughter, in their beds with injuries that were determined to be stab wounds. The bodies were located in the popular tourist town of Lloret de Mar, directly north of Barcelona.
The husband, who investigators determined to be Sergei Protosenya, 55, was discovered hanged on the patio.
Spain’s state news agency Efe reported that police also found a blood-stained knife and a hatchet at the house, according to ABC News.
Protosenya reportedly was very wealthy, a former top executive for Novatek, a major natural gas producer in Russia.
The Case Was Eerily Similar to Russian Slayings in Moscow Just Days Earlier.
The case was eerily similar to an incident that was discovered in Moscow on April 18. Vladislav Avayev, former vice president of Gazprombank, and his wife and daughter were found dead in their Moscow apartment. A Russian state news agency, Tass, reported Avayev is believed to have shot his wife and daughter and then killed himself.
That means that two wealthy and well-connected Russian families perished in similar circumstances just two days apart.
Novatek released a statement describing Protosenya as a former member of the company’s management board and expressed their condolences.
“Unfortunately, speculations have emerged in the media about this topic, but we are convinced that these speculations bear no relation to reality. We hope that the Spanish law enforcement authorities will conduct a thorough and impartial investigation to determine what happened,” Novatek also said in the statement.
The Spanish police spokeswoman, who wasn’t authorized to be named in the media, said police went to the house in Lloret de Mar after the family’s son in France became worried about being unable to reach his relatives.
RELATED: Russian Model Who Criticized Putin Found Dead in Suitcase
Un hombre mata a su mujer y su hija en Girona. La #ViolenciaDeGénero y la #ViolenciaVicaria nos dejan dos crueles asesinatos. Dos vidas arrebatas por un problema estructural que debemos erradicar: el machismo. Eduquemos en feminismo, avancemos en igualdad.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 20, 2022
Mi cariño a la familia https://t.co/Fb0oSV5XqF
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez shared a tweet Wednesday offering his condolences to the family. “A man kills his wife and daughter in Girona,” he tweeted. “Two lives struck down by a structural problem that we must eradicate: machismo.”
Equality Minister Irene Montero also condemned the killings. Authorities say 12 women have been killed so far this year in domestic violence in Spain and 1,138 since 2003 when the country began such records.
Authorities in Girona expect to hand over their full report to a court for evaluation soon.
Contents
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.