Murder of pregnant ex-judge Saibayeva: suspects flee to Moscow

Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Bastrykin has demanded a check on information about the possible presence in Moscow of suspects in the murder in Germany of former judge Aigul Saibayeva. The mutilated body of the Kazakhstan native with stab wounds was found in summer 2024. At the time of the murder, she was in her sixth month of pregnancy.

“Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia Bastrykin A.I. instructed the head of the Main Investigative Department of the ICR for Moscow Belyaev D.V. to report on the progress of the procedural check,” – says the message from the press service of the department.

MSK1.RU tells what is known about the brutal murder of 40-year-old former judge Aigul Saibayeva.

Former judge, happy mother and homemaker

Aigul Saibayeva was born in 1984 in Kazakhstan. Her father worked as a judge, her mother was a lawyer. Her sister Zhuldyzai and brother Kanat were also involved in her upbringing— it was he who later reported Aigul missing.

After finishing school, the girl followed in her parents« footsteps and enrolled in the Kazakh Humanitarian Law University. During her student years, she was a scholarship recipient of the presidential »Bolashak« program. After receiving her diploma, Saibayeva worked in the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan, and later served as a judge in one of the districts of Astana.

As reported by REN.TV, in 2019 Aigul married 29-year-old Alexander Dontsov, a native of Taldykorgan. By education, he is also a lawyer. After completing his bachelor«s degree, the man earned a master»s degree at RANEPA (Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration) in «Foreign Regional Studies».

The couple lived in Russia and the USA, where the man worked at the mortgage corporation AD Mortgage. In 2021, the couple moved to Germany. There, Alexander studied for a doctorate at the University of Leipzig. A daughter was born to them in the marriage, and she has German citizenship.

Aigul«s husband comes from an influential family: his 74-year-old grandmother was the director of »BankCenterCredit« in Taldykorgan, and his 51-year-old mother Natalia, according to Aigul»s relatives, worked in law enforcement agencies.

As REN TV writes, in 2018, Dontsova Sr. even ran for mayor of Moscow. The woman is registered as the head of the ANO DPO «Moscow Academy of Professional Growth», which dealt with additional education for children and adults. The company«s office in the capital»s Mnevniki district is now not operational, according to data from Yandex Maps.

As relatives of the deceased said, Alexander provided for the family, while Aigul took on the household chores and raising their daughter. The couple also lived with Dontsov«s mother Natalia, who moved to Germany from Russia.

On social networks, Aigul often posted photos with her family and at local landmarks. According to the girl«s relatives and acquaintances, no one could have imagined that the happy mother would soon be found dead in a quarry outside the city.

«No face, neck, or hair»

Aigul disappeared on July 4, 2024. The last time the girl was in contact with her relatives was the day before— she called them in the morning after taking the child to kindergarten. According to her brother Kanat, her husband and mother-in-law assured in correspondence that Aigul had simply left home and was out somewhere partying.

This did not calm the Saibayevs, and they tried to call the Dontsovs. At first they did not answer, and later it became known that after Aigul, her mother-in-law Natalia also disappeared— allegedly she went to search for her daughter-in-law and mysteriously vanished. As Aigul«s mother Sholpan told REN.TV, Natalia left Germany on the night of June 4-5, and a taxi to the airport was called for her by her son. Later, footage from surveillance cameras at the airport was added to the case: the videos show Dontsova waiting for her flight, with her hand bandaged.

Alexander was in no hurry to file a missing person report for his wife; instead, Aigul«s brother did so by contacting the consulate. Kanat flew to Germany to personally participate in the search for his sister.

Twelve days later, the mutilated body of the woman was found in a quarry on the outskirts of Bensheim, where the family lived. According to the investigation«s version, Aigul»s body was brought there a couple of hours before discovery; by that time, the girl had been dead for two weeks.

«We waited for the men and one of them got into the water, and he just lifted… half a suitcase, which was covering a garbage bag. He felt that there was a body inside. We didn»t see any traces of blood, stab wounds, we were afraid to touch it at all so as not to leave fingerprints,« local resident Anna told REN.TV.

Police conducted searches in the Dontsovs« house. According to the parents of the deceased, the apartment looked clean— someone had washed the floors and tidied up. Despite this, it was not possible to completely get rid of the evidence.

“There is so much blood in the apartment— in the bedroom, in the hallway, in the bathroom, in the living room. Even under the sofa in the living room there is blood, and everywhere it is Aigul«s blood and specifically Natalia»s blood,” – noted the mother of the deceased in a conversation with the TV channel.

As REN.TV claims, citing relatives« words and case materials, traces of blood were found in the basement of the house and in Dontsova»s car.

The autopsy showed that the girl was in her sixth month of pregnancy. As German media wrote, Aigul was killed with particular cruelty: first she was hit on the head, and then cut with a knife. In Germany, investigators opened a criminal case, with the main suspect being the deceased«s mother-in-law.

«We assume that they fought in the house, then someone hit Aigul on the head from behind, because when Dontsova and Aigul were fighting, Dontsova had a knife in her hand and all of Aigul»s hands were cut. Then she was washed, changed into clean clothes. The clothes she was wearing were not bloody,” – emphasized the family«s lawyer Ruzya Nurmasheva.

According to the words of the deceased«s mother Sholpan, Aigul was inflicted with about 30 wounds in total. The girl was identified by a mole on her nose— so disfigured was the body.

After Aigul«s death, the girl»s friends recalled that she often complained to them about emotional pressure from her mother-in-law and husband. The deceased«s sister Zhuldyzai Abudbaidova also said that Saibayeva was in an abusive relationship: her husband raised his hand to her, and together with his mother they forbade Aigul to go out alone on the street and communicate with loved ones. Additionally, the woman allegedly had her money and personal belongings taken away. According to her sister, Aigul stayed with her husband only for the sake of her daughter— the former judge was afraid that the Dontsovs would take her child away.

Hiding in Moscow?

Two months after the tragedy, the deceased«s husband, Alexander Dontsov, obtained citizenship for their young daughter and moved to Russia. In the capital, according to open data, since 2025 he has been working as a research fellow at one of the capital»s universities.

In December last year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan declared Alexander and his mother wanted, and notices for them appeared in the local database. The search for the Dontsovs is being handled by the police department for Taldykorgan.

The current whereabouts of Natalia Dontsova are unknown. According to preliminary data, she may be in Moscow. Relatives of the deceased appealed to the head of the ICR Alexander Bastrykin so that law enforcement would check on the woman. They fear that danger may also threaten Aigul«s child, who is in the care of her father.

Earlier we reported, what is known about the brutal murder of Moscow student Tatyana Strakhova.