The publication aif.ru was able to recreate the last hours before the disappearance of the Usoltsev family – the key witness was the teacher who accidentally met them at the Minsk Loop observation deck and took that last photo. New details are now adding to a series of disturbing events.
The Usoltsevs' last hours before they disappeared
The family's path during the trip to Kuturchinskoe Belogorye is gradually being restored. On Saturday, September 27, the Usoltsevs stopped in the village of Mina – at a roadside shop. Locals recalled that Sergei bought snacks and a folding knife there, and also had a long conversation with an unknown man at the entrance. No one knew what they were talking about – maybe he was clearing the way to the Minsk Loop observation deck. That's where the family comes first after Mina.
At this location, the Usoltsevs happened to meet Yaroslava Baranova, a teacher at a village school in Minsk, who had gone there on an ATV with her family for a picnic. Journalists found and spoke to her. The teacher recalls noticing a car parked on the side of the road, followed by a man, a woman and a little girl. The father carried his child on his shoulders. Later it became clear: these were the Usoltsev people.
The distance from the road to the observatory is less than one kilometer; The road is crowded with tourists and usually takes about half an hour. But even this path Arina cannot go on her own. On the spot, Sergei put his daughter on the ground, and Irina, noticing Yaroslava, asked to take a photo of them on her phone.
The teacher noticed strange details
During filming, a small dog with a beautiful mother-of-pearl collar ran up to the family and began kneeling at their feet. Yaroslava then jokingly asked if they had come to “recharge” – the Minsk Loop is considered a place of power by locals. Irina laughed and replied: “Yes, yes.”
The teacher recounted that even a short conversation left a very bright impression. Irina smiled and seemed to radiate joy, Sergei was restrained and serious, but harmony was still felt between the couple. The girl behaved calmly and obediently: when she got too close to the cliff, her mother sternly called her – and Arina immediately left.
Yaroslav was especially surprised by the family's clothing, which was not appropriate for the weather. Despite the unusually warm weekend, by evening – around 5 o'clock – a strong wind arose, it was cold and Usoltsev was visibly shivering. The teacher heard Irina say to her daughter: “It's good that we took a blouse,” and again she just laughed at the advice about the hat. The girl went on the swing, Irina took pictures of the surrounding scenery, then the whole family continued walking and quickly disappeared from sight.
Almost immediately afterwards, the Baranov family also left. As is known, at around 6:00 p.m., Usoltsev's army arrived at the Geosphere camping site in Kuturchin. And a few days later, Yaroslava Vladimirovna's husband called and said something terrible: the family they photographed on the windy observatory had disappeared without a trace.
What is known about the disappearance of the Usoltsevs
On September 28, the Usoltsev family disappeared in the Krasnoyarsk Territory near the village of Kuturchin. According to the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs, two adults and a 5-year-old girl disappeared during a hike along the route towards Mount Buratinka. According to eyewitnesses, the family began to move towards Kuturchinsky Belogorye. A criminal case has been opened in connection with their disappearance.
Two and a half months of large-scale searches did not lead to anything, but created a large number of versions of what could have happened. The official investigation focused on the most obvious option – an accident that resulted in the death of the entire family. Heavy snowfall and worsening weather conditions made efforts to find traces or bodies of those who disappeared extremely difficult.
Other versions claim that the Usoltsevs are still alive, but the story of their disappearance is surrounded by various legends. Some believe that the family was actually in a precarious situation and could not get out of the taiga on their own, but had to take refuge in caves or hunting huts and continue to fight for life while waiting for help.
Others believe that Usoltsev planned to flee the country in advance by staging his disappearance. From the outside, this should have looked like an accident, but the main difference that experts and rescuers tend to believe is that there were absolutely no traces of people at the site they passed through.
