Body of missing woman found wrapped in plastic inside closet of Northeast Philadelphia home, police say
The body of a 61-year-old missing woman was found wrapped in plastic and duct taped to a board in a closet inside a Northeast Philadelphia home on Wednesday, police sources said.
Police identified the 61-year-old as Lola Karabaeva, who was reported missing by friends on Sunday. She was found inside her home on the 9000 block of Diplomat Place in the city's Bustleton neighborhood.
According to police, Karabaeva's friends told officers they last spoke with her on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 2:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, police said detectives returned to the Diplomat Place home to continue investigating the missing person's case. As officers searched the house, police said they discovered Karabaeva's body wrapped in plastic inside a closet. She was pronounced dead by medics at 10:13 a.m., according to police.
Police said Karabaeva's cause of death has to be determined. Police believe she was dead for a few days.
Karabaeva's husband, Vladimir Lushevskiy, was arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse, police said. Additional charges may also be filed, according to police.
Surveillance video captured the moment that Karabaeva arrived at her home early in the morning on Oct. 12, which was the last time she was seen.
A neighbor on Diplomat Place said the video shows Lushevskiy leaving the home hours later in the day on Saturday.
Neighbors said they were surprised and saddened to hear about Karabaeva's death.
"Good woman, we would have dinner together sometimes in the backyard," a neighbor said.
The investigation is being handled by the Philadelphia Police Department's Homicide Unit.