A shocking case involving mummified bodies that relatives had hidden in private homes has come to a close in Pavlodar Region. Both suspects have been ruled insane, according to infohub.kz.
The horrifying story of the so-called "Maikain mummies" stunned the nation in early February. In two private houses belonging to the same family, the bodies of a deceased homeowner and his younger daughter were discovered. It emerged that the desiccated remains of the 67-year-old pensioner had lain in a room for nearly six months. The body of his 39-year-old daughter was found in the second house, where a six-year-old girl lived with her grandmother and aunt. Grave markers indicated that the woman had died two years earlier. It is known that she suffered from a severe illness.
According to villagers, the girl had been caring for her mother's body all that time, smearing it with honey and fat. The child did not attend kindergarten; her grandmother and aunt taught her to read and write themselves.
After the mummified bodies were buried, the homeowner and her elder daughter came under investigation. The women were suspected of desecrating the dead and fraud, as it was believed they might have been collecting the deceased man's pension. But the case ultimately had to be closed. Both were declared insane. The girl was taken into the care of a new family.
"A criminal case was opened by police on this fact. All necessary investigative actions were carried out. Based on the results of the required examinations, both women were found to be insane. Both have been placed in a specialized psychiatric hospital," the Pavlodar Region Police Department said.