Primorye woman sentenced for smothering newborn with towel

A woman who smothered her newborn child and threw the body into the Astrakhanka River in the Khankaysky municipal district in June 2025 has been sentenced to two years in a colony-settlement. Her husband was involved in the case as a witness, assuring the court that he was unaware of the murder and even the pregnancy, according to Primamedia.

The resident of the village of Kamen-Rybolov confessed to the investigators immediately after her arrest. According to her, on the evening of June 3, she gave birth to the infant in the bathroom alone, without witnesses. After that, she wrapped the child in a towel, covered its face, and pressed down with her hand. Then she placed the body in a plastic bag.

After confirming that the child was dead, she left the bathroom, told her husband that the baby was stillborn, and asked him to take the bag to the river. The man, believing his wife, agreed to dispose of the body. Later, the dead child was found by fishermen.

It turned out that the family already had a history with an abandoned child. In 2021, the couple had a daughter whom they left in the entrance of a building in the Chernigovsky district. Later, the girl was adopted. This was discovered through genetic testing — the DNA of the newborn boy matches the DNA profile of the girl.

The woman explained that the motive for the crime was a difficult life situation related to the lack of money in the family. Currently, the couple already has three children born in 2014, 2020, and 2024.