US student missing in Russia found dead
Jun 20, 2021
Washington [US], June 20 : A US student who was studying in Russia was found dead early Saturday morning, according to Russia's Investigative Committee, reported American media.
The Hill quoting NPR reported, Catherine Serou, 34, was a master's student at Lobachevsky University in Nizhny Novgorod studying law. She was reported missing from Tuesday.
On Thursday, investigators opened a probe, considering it a possible homicide.
According to NPR, Serou reportedly got into a stranger's vehicle in a suburb of the area where she went to school. She allegedly texted her mother, "In a car with a stranger. I hope I'm not being abducted." These messages were the last her mother heard from her.
Serou's mother said that her daughter may have gotten in a passing car without waiting for the Uber she ordered to arrive in an effort to get back to a clinic in Nizhny Novgorod quickly.
"I think that when she saw that the person wasn't driving to the clinic, but instead was driving into a forest, she panicked," Beccy Serou told NPR. "Her telephone last pinged off a cell tower in that forest."
According to Russia's Investigative Committee, a man in his 40s had been arrested and was working with investigators, according to the publication. The suspect has reportedly been convicted of crimes in the past.
The US Embassy in Moscow in a statement said that it was "closely monitoring" the situation and assisting the Serou family, The Hill reported further.
