Russian authorities investigating possible cannibalism case
A general view of the city centre on November 19, 2011 in Krasnodar, Russia. Krasnodar is one of thirteen cities proposed as a host city as Russia prepares to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup. (Photo by Harry Engels/Getty Images)
MOSCOW - Investigators in southern Russia are looking into a possible cannibalism case.
The Investigative Committee said Monday that a 35-year-old man has been arrested in the city of Krasnodar, which is in the southwestern part of the country. The man is suspected of killing a woman in an abandoned house earlier this month after a drunken brawl.
Investigators say the investigation started when a road construction crew found a cell phone. When they looked through the phone, they saw photographs of a man posing with different parts of a dismembered human body.
Using "special technical measures," authorities say they determined who owned the phone and made the arrest.
The investigators said they searched the man's home and found body parts in jars of brine and pieces of meat of "an unknown origin" in the kitchen.
The investigators, however, stopped short of calling it a cannibalism case, saying that they are still testing the samples.
The statement follows local media reports about several cases of cannibalism in Krasnodar.
Reports suggest the man and his wife, dubbed the "cannibal couple," may have drugged, killed and eaten dozens of people. The 'cannibal couple' allegedly kidnapped at least 30 people before skinning them alive and eating them, according to the Washington Post.
The Associated Press contributed to this report