Russian historian Anatoly Moskvin amassed a chilling collection of young girls' remnants, resembling dolls.
In the city of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, a shocking discovery was made in 2011 that sent ripples of horror and intrigue throughout the community. Anatoly Moskvin, a historian and journalist, was arrested after the mummified remains of 29 girls between the ages of three and 25 were found in his small apartment.
Moskvin, who was known as an expert on cemeteries and dubbed himself a "necropolyst," had been visiting gravesites in Nizhny Novgorod since 2005. From 2005 to 2007, he claimed to have visited 752 cemeteries in the city. His macabre interest led to a belief in magic and ultimately, a fascination with the dead.
Inside Moskvin's apartment, authorities found life-sized, doll-like figures that were the mummified corpses of human girls. Moskvin's doll-like figures wore fine and varied clothing, and he had covered their faces and hands in fabric. He admitted that he would stuff the decayed corpses with rags.
One mummy had a piece of her own gravestone with her name scrawled on it inside her body. Another contained a hospital tag with the date and the cause of the girl's death. Investigators found personal belongings and clothing inside some of the mummies. A dried human heart was found inside a third body.
Moskvin, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, attributed his obsession with the macabre to a 1979 incident when he was forced to kiss a dead girl's corpse at her funeral. This tragic event seemed to have sparked his morbid fascination with death.
His editor at Necrologies was surprised by the discovery of Moskvin's mummification of the 29 young women and girls. Moskvin allegedly told authorities not to bother reburying the girls too deeply, as he would simply unbury them when he was released.
Moskvin's parents claimed to know nothing of the true origin of Moskvin's "dolls." He would also insert buttons or toy eyes into the girls' eye sockets so that they could "watch cartoons" with him.
Despite being declared legally insane, Moskvin was never convicted. Instead, he was ordered to be treated in a psychiatric hospital. The graves in Nizhny Novgorod had begun to turn up vandalized in 2009, and Moskvin was caught in 2011 in connection with the desecrations.
The chilling tale of Anatoly Moskvin serves as a grim reminder of the darker sides of human fascination and the lengths some may go to fulfil their morbid curiosities.
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