They searched in the woods and on the water: the fate of the Usoltsevs remains unknown

It is still not possible to find the Usoltsev family, who disappeared without a trace about a month ago near Mount Pinocchio in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Local law enforcement officers, as well as volunteers, are involved in the search. The causes and circumstances of the disappearance raise many questions. According to the local police, the investigation is ongoing, but at the moment no traces of the Usoltsevs have been found in the taiga. For more information, see the Izvestia article.

The missing family

On September 28, the Usoltsev family — 64-year-old Sergey, 48-year-old Irina and their five-year-old daughter Arina — went on a hiking trip to Mount Pinocchio near the Manskaya Loop and the village of Kuturchin in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Initially, the route was planned as part of a group, but later the couple decided to travel independently, taking a corgi dog with them. Eyewitnesses noticed how two adults with a child and backpacks were starting their journey towards the Kuturchinsky white mountains.

Four days later, on October 2, when the tourists did not return and did not get in touch, the alarm was raised. On the same day, the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Krasnoyarsk Territory officially reported the disappearance of the family. The search was immediately joined by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, volunteers and local residents.

More than 515 km of forest roads and 40 square kilometers of woodlands were searched for the missing. The Usoltsevs' car was found at the foot of the mountain, with their valuables, documents and a child's seat with toys in the cabin.

Who participated in the search

The search operations were conducted using the latest technologies and methods. In conditions of difficult taiga terrain, low temperatures and heavy snowfall, quadrocopters, helicopters and specialized climbing equipment took part in the work. The lack of accurate information about the route of the missing complicated the task of rescuers, who were forced to explore vast areas.

More than 1,550 people from nine regions participated in the search, including the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Ryazan and Kemerovo regions, as well as the republics of Altai, Khakassia and Moscow. During the operation, 515 km of forest roads were combed and 40 square kilometers of forest were explored.

On October 10, rescuers reached the place where the last signal of Sergei Usoltsev's mobile phone was recorded, but this did not give new clues. Currently, the active phase of the search has been completed. Experts estimate the probability of finding the family alive as extremely low due to the harsh weather conditions, the duration of the loss and the insufficient equipment of tourists.

The search operation has become a real challenge for rescuers. Volunteers from Khakassia, Altai Krai, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo regions actively participated in the search. The LizaAlert Krasnoyarsk team worked to the limit of their strength, but the harsh nature also affected the volunteers — there were cases of hypothermia and injuries. One of the volunteers, after a long trek along the mountain trails, faced an exacerbation of chronic joint disease.

The situation was also complicated by logistical problems. According to Andrei Polyakovsky, commander of the Sibir PSG (call sign "Vulture"), the supplies designed for a year — such as batteries, fuel, canned food and disposable tableware — were fully used. Frosts up to -13 degrees affected the operation of the equipment, the equipment failed, and the batteries quickly discharged.

Completion of the active search phase

On October 12, after two weeks of searching, the active phase of rescue efforts to find the Usoltsev family was completed. The operation has moved to the stage of targeted tasks, which are performed by professional rescuers and certified specialists who have experience sleeping in the mountains and legal weapons to ensure safety. The coordinators emphasize that the main goal is to prevent an increase in the number of victims, as cases of injuries among volunteers have already been recorded.

The search continues in Partizansky, Sayansky and Mansky districts, where the signal of Sergey Usoltsev's mobile phone was last recorded. At that moment, the family is supposed to have just started their route towards Mount Pinocchio.

However, the deep snow greatly complicates the search efforts. Grigory Sergeev, chairman of the LizaAlert volunteer search and rescue team, noted that effective searches are possible only after the snow cover has cleared.

At the moment, the volunteers have traveled more than 4,600 km along the taiga roads, but due to snow and ice, not all sites have been surveyed. Special difficulties arose when searching on a scree, where boulders are unstable. According to Sergeev, the speed of movement in such conditions was only 300 meters per hour.

Many territories still remain unexplored. The volunteers will explore a scree of more than 2.5 km in length and 1.5 km in width. The stones here stand vertically, and large gaps form between them, hidden by snow and ice.

The search will resume after the snow melts, if conditions are favorable and the necessary resources are provided, said Alexey Kulesh, deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

The investigative authorities clarified that experienced climbers and speleologists are involved in the work, who are engaged in surveying hard-to-reach areas, caves and stone placers (kurums).

Official versions of the investigation

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has opened a criminal case into the disappearance of the Usoltsev family, which is being investigated under the article "Murder". This is standard practice in such situations, which provides the investigation with ample opportunity to consider all possible versions.

During the investigation and search, various hypotheses were put forward about the causes of the family's disappearance. The media reported that tourists could become victims of wild animal attacks, fall into the gorge, get lost and die from hypothermia. There were also theories about the criminal nature of the incident or a possible deliberate escape across the border with Mongolia. Gesture experts expressed doubt about the sincerity of Irina Usoltseva's words, who had posted a video on her blog on the eve of the incident.

As of October 22, the main version remains an accident. The regional office of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation stressed that a lot of false information had emerged around this case, but the official position of the investigation remains unchanged. No suspicious circumstances were found indicating the criminal nature of the disappearance.

Will they have time to find the missing

At the moment, the rescue operation has been suspended. The search is scheduled to resume immediately after the snow cover disappears, which will provide better visibility and increase the efficiency of the search teams. Grigory Sergeev emphasizes that the chances of finding a family will increase significantly after the snow melts, as it is easy to miss something in deep snowdrifts, despite the increased attention. According to him, a stone slab with an area of 2.5 km by 1.5 km remains untested. There are vertical rocks here, with large gaps between them, and now the place is covered with snow and ice.

On October 13, Sergei Shchetinin, chairman of the executive committee of the Rescue Workers' Union and Honored Rescuer of Russia, told Izvestia that the Usoltsev family could have survived if they had found shelter or a winter shelter with food supplies.

However, Shchetinin also noted that the chances of rescue remain extremely low due to difficult weather conditions, frosts and snowfalls.