Home alone tragedy as Ukrainian brother and sister die trapped inside wooden chest

Home alone tragedy as Ukrainian brother and sister, 10 and seven, die trapped inside 18th century wooden chest while their parents were digging potatoes 18 miles away

  • Anna and Mikhail Presnov, from Mykilske, are believed to have suffocated
  • Police are exploring all avenues and a murder investigation has been launched
  • The children’s parents were out working and last spoke to the pair at 10am
  • When they called an hour later, the children did not answer the phone
  • The parents began a search when they returned from work and police joined
  • The bodies were discovered inside the chest with the help of a sniffer dog 
  • The children were last seen playing outside their home in the morning


A murder investigation has bee launched after two children were found dead inside an 18th century wooden chest in Ukraine.

Anna and Mikhail Presnov, aged 10 and seven, are believed to have climbed into the chest and suffocated after its latch closed, preventing them from opening the heavy lid. 

However, law enforcement have not ruled out foul play.

The two children were home alone in the village of Mykilske as their parents had gone to work digging potatoes some 18 miles away.

The parents, Svetlana, 35, and Stanislav, 41, said they had spoken to the children at 10am, but an hour later, they did not answer the phone. 

The parents returned home by bus in the late afternoon and began a search for the missing children. 

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Anna and Mikhail Presnov, aged 10 and seven, were found dead inside an 18th century wooden chest at their home in Ukraine

Anna and Mikhail Presnov, aged 10 and seven, were found dead inside an 18th century wooden chest at their home in Ukraine

The children are believed to have climbed into the chest (pictured) and suffocated after its latch closed, preventing them from opening the heavy lid

The children are believed to have climbed into the chest (pictured) and suffocated after its latch closed, preventing them from opening the heavy lid

‘I took a bicycle, Svetlana went on foot along the nearby streets looking for them, but there were no signs of them,’ former miner Stanislav said.

The children had last been seen playing outside the family home in the morning.

A police sniffer dog directed officers into the home where they found the bodies of the children inside the antique wooden chest, a family heirloom that had initially been part of a dowry.

‘Police say it was most likely an accident – they got inside, the chest closed and they suffocated,’ Stanislav said.

‘There was a bracket through which to put a padlock. The latch might close in a way they could not open it from the inside.

‘But the point is that they could have lifted the lid so that there was a gap for air…’

Police said they are exploring all possibilities in relation to the children's deaths. A murder investigation has been launched. Pictured: The children with their mother Svetlana (centre)

Police said they are exploring all possibilities in relation to the children’s deaths. A murder investigation has been launched. Pictured: The children with their mother Svetlana (centre) 

‘During a search of the house, the children were found in an old chest with no signs of life,’ a statement from Ukraine’s National Police read.

It added that forensics were working at the scene and efforts were being made to establish ‘the circumstances’.

‘Police are considering all versions of the deaths of the brother and sister.’

A murder investigation has now been launched. 

The sister and brother were buried next to each other and the school they both attended was closed on the day of their funeral. 

At the funeral, Svetlana Zhigailo, the children’s headteacher said: ‘The children loved their parents and the parents loved the children.’ 

source: dailymail.co.uk