Pasha, 9, Earned Money Washing Cars, Grandmother Says

According to the boy«s grandmother, his part-time job of wiping car headlights in St. Petersburg»s Krasnoselsky District was no secret. The child often washed cars near the Vkusno i Tochka (a fast-food chain) restaurant, located a few minutes« walk from home.

The woman explained: «They wipe headlights for 100 rubles ($1). If they get money, that«s their happiness. Some saved for a phone, others for something else. Even well-off children washed because it»s their own money. They feel like adults, you understand? I didn«t mind because I knew they were running to the restaurant near home.»

On 30 January, Pasha asked to go for a walk around 2:00 p.m., planning to go to a slide. According to his mother, he usually returned by 5:00 p.m. and never stayed out late. However, that day the boy did not come back.

The grandmother reported: «I didn«t know he went to Lenta, which is two stops away. I was very shocked. My daughter called me as soon as the child disappeared. We all searched: through yards, villages, private sector. We went into all big stores. We thought, maybe he got on the wrong bus, went somewhere wrong and was sitting frozen. Now Pasha is gone.»

The body of nine-year-old Pasha was found in a body of water in Lomonosovsky District, Leningrad Region, on the night of 3 February. According to investigators, on 30 January, 38-year-old Pyotr Zhilkin put the child in a car and drove him away from Tallinn Highway. The suspect was detained in Pskov Region and taken to St. Petersburg, where he described his actions.