The disappearance of an American student on Arshan: chronology of events. Totalitarian Russia, or Who Covers up the Killers of Colin Madsen? Colin Madsen

Let us remember that this tragic story happened six months ago. On the night of March 27 Colin Madsen- a student at one of the Irkutsk universities - a guest house in the village of Arshan and left in an unknown direction. He did not take any outerwear or mobile phone with him. The friends with whom the young man came to the Tunka Valley searched for him all day, but to no avail. They asked for help from law enforcement agencies. And the next morning, social network users joined the search. Relatives, friends and those who know Colin personally distributed posts calling for help - they could not believe that a tragedy could happen to him.

Mysterious disappearance

Volunteers, rescuers, members of the voluntary national team, employees of the Tunkinsky National Park and caring residents of the village were looking for the young man. They even asked local shamans for help. Colin Madsen's comrades called his disappearance nothing less than "mysticism."

The longer the search continued, the more questions arose. Different versions have been put forward. A week later, a young man disappeared one and a half kilometers from the village.

For what reasons Colin Madsen suddenly left the guest house and, without warning his friends, went into the forest, still remains a mystery. According to investigators, he died from hypothermia. However, Colin's mother, Dina Madsen, was initially sure that this was not the case. The woman even turned to caring people through social networks with a request to help her find out the truth.

Not only Russian but also foreign media wrote about the disappearance and later about the death of Colin Madsen. However, direct participants in the events stated that most of the publications are replete with inaccuracies, contradictions, and sometimes contain outright lies. In mid-April, Colin’s friends, who were with him on that ill-fated night, told the Irkutsk publication Babr.ru the shocking details of the tragedy in Arshan.

That night the young man had almost no warm clothes or socks, and he was wearing unlaced boots. The mother is sure that her son could not have gone far in this form. In addition, a year earlier he had undergone bilateral ankle surgery. And the shoes, according to Dana Madsen, were completely clean.

She also announced that U.S. tests on her son's remains showed no evidence of illegal substance use, and that initial toxicology tests in Russia found no significant traces of marijuana or the synthetic drug Madsen allegedly took, according to investigators.

In the photo: Colin Madsen (second from left) with his mother (far left) and family.

The woman calls accusations of drug use a lie and an attempt to distract attention from what happened. This version, in her opinion, does not explain who beat her son with a blunt object or left identical marks around both wrists. According to the American, “local Russians mistakenly considered Colin and his companions to be homosexuals, and this could have become additional reason attacks."

“I saw open fear”

Dana Madsen said that after arriving in Russia, even before Colin’s body was discovered, she had “an extremely disturbing conversation with a police officer.”

He was seething with hatred and contempt, because he believed that the guys should not have lived in a hotel together - without girls and without alcohol. He kept trying to persuade me to say that Colin liked boys, asking how much money he spent a month and where it came from. When I was exhausted and completely bewildered, I told him that Colin had a girlfriend in his homeland - and I saw open fear,” she said.

Colin Madsen's body was found one and a half kilometers from the village, and an active search lasted for more than a week. According to the mother of the deceased, the US Embassy in Moscow sent four diplomatic notes to the Russian authorities, to which no proper response was received.

The high-profile story of the death of an American student is acquiring new details. The official investigation concluded that Colin Madsen's death was not criminal in nature. And on July 30, the criminal case was discontinued due to the lack of corpus delicti. However, the mother of the deceased believes that Colin could have become a victim of a crime. The Friday columnist reflects on possible scenarios for the development of events.

Let us remind you that the tragedy occurred in the spring of this year in Arshan, Republic of Buryatia. On March 26, a company of young people, among whom was a US citizen - at that time a student at the Irkutsk branch of the Moscow State Linguistic University - Colin Madsen, arrived there to climb the Peak of Love. However, at night, while his friends were sleeping, Madsen left the house for unknown reasons, and since then no one has seen him alive. They searched for Colin for eight days with the help of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, police and volunteers. Fourth of April body young man was found a little over a kilometer from the house where he spent the night.

A variety of versions have been expressed, from criminal to mystical. However, according to the conclusions of investigators from the Investigative Committee of Buryatia, the cause of Colin’s death was hypothermia due to drug use. One of his companions during interrogation said that on the day of their arrival in Arshan the company used marijuana mixed with tobacco. Chemical and toxicological examinations confirmed this version. Traces of cannabis use were found in the urine of Madsen and two of his friends. Madsen's urine also contained traces of the synthetic drug. Subsequently, these conclusions were confirmed by another examination conducted in Novosibirsk.

At the end of July, the criminal case into the death of Colin Madsen was dropped due to the lack of evidence of a crime.

As the senior assistant to the head of the investigative department for interaction with funds explained to Friday mass media Dmitry Stolyarov, the conclusions of the investigation are confirmed by the results of the autopsy and examination internal organs the deceased and other high-precision studies that were carried out during the examination.

However, Dana Madsen, Colin’s mother, does not agree with the conclusions of Russian investigators. The other day, the portal of the British tabloid Daily Mail published an article in which she came out with her version of what happened: perhaps Colin was killed, and the Russian investigation is covering up the criminals.

The article states that after Colin's body was brought to the United States, an American pathologist examined him and found suspicious marks. According to the mother, these may be traces of a blow to the head with a blunt object. Dana Madsen also doubts the conclusions of the Russian toxicological examination. She said the drug accusation is a lie to try to distract from what really happened. As follows from the publication, a test conducted in the United States did not reveal any traces of drug use.

According to Dana Madsen, her son could have been killed. And, perhaps, local residents were involved in the crime, suspecting Colin and his friends of homosexuality. The attack on Colin could have happened at night when he left the house to go to the toilet. By way of argument, Ms. Madsen recalls a rather tense and frightening conversation with a police officer who was literally seething with hatred, believing that young people should not stay together without girls or alcohol. This policeman tried to get her to admit that Colin was gay, asking how much money he spent and where he got it.

Dana Madsen is sure that Colin could not go to the mountains at night alone without warm clothes and equipment. He was an experienced hiker and knew the rules of climbing well.

However, when he was found, he was wearing only trousers and a shirt, his shoes were unlaced and he was wearing his bare feet. Although shortly before this, Colin had surgery on his ankle and could not walk without socks. All this, according to the mother, suggests a violent nature of death.

However, the attentive reader will not find any documentary evidence of the murder version in the Daily Mail publication. For example, Ms. Madsen says that “an American pathologist discovered suspicious marks,” but does not name his name or place of work, and does not publish the materials of this report. The same is with the American toxicological examination: nowhere is it said who conducted it, and copies of this study are not attached to the article.

The Daily Mail article contains serious allegations that cannot be ignored. But let's figure out how much they can influence the results of the investigation. As you know, Dana Madsen was recognized as a victim and she had and still has all the levers to change the situation: to file petitions to call new witnesses, experts and specialists, to request material evidence and documents, to exclude evidence obtained from violation of the requirements of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, as well as many others. Moreover, Colin’s mother had the right to challenge the investigator and expert. Moreover, as you know, in the USA all legal system aims to uphold the rule of law for its citizens anywhere in the world.

However, as Dmitry Stolyarov, senior assistant to the head of the Investigative Committee of Buryatia, told Friday, Ms. Madsen did not file any official petitions, complaints, demands for repeated examinations or challenges, although she was familiar with all the expert opinions in the proper order. In legal language, this means that the injured party has no objections.

Very strange. On the one hand, there are accusations of Russian investigators of bias and an attempt to cover up the crime, on the other hand, there are no attempts to challenge the results of the investigation. As it turned out, the Investigative Committee of Buryatia knows about the publication in the Daily Mail and is waiting for Ms. Madsen to submit her objections.

As far as I understand, the study by the American pathologist to which she refers is not yet ready,” Dmitry Stolyarov told Friday. - Therefore, I think it is premature to discuss it. But when the foreign specialist’s document is ready, we expect Ms. Madsen to send it to our investigative department for study. Based on the results of the analysis of the conclusions of American experts (if any.

Friday contacted Dana Madsen to clarify some details. In particular, we asked whether she had read the case materials, the examinations and the decision to dismiss the case, and whether she was ready to publish the data of the American examination.

The answer received was: No one informed us about the case being closed. I have an article dated August 15 that the case is still opened. We are still working on forensics here. Best. (“No one informed us that the case was closed. I have an article dated August 15th that the case is still open. We are still working on forensic analysis. All the best.”)

• Strong arguments needed

Is it possible to challenge the results of forensic and toxicological examinations? “Friday” addressed this question to the candidate legal sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Forensic Science forensic examinations and legal psychology of BSU Elena Igorevna Foigel.

According to Elena Igorevna, it is possible to appeal the results of the examination if there are compelling arguments. You need to understand that the result of a forensic medical examination is an official act. This document is key evidence. The act contains data on the time and conditions of the examination, information about the object of the examination and the specialists participating in it, and most importantly - comprehensive answers to the questions posed by the investigation and the court.

If the injured party does not agree with the conclusion of the forensic medical examination, believes that it contradicts other evidence in the case or contains dubious information, he has the right to apply to the court to conduct an additional or repeat forensic examination.

If the court rejects the application for an additional or re-examination, the parties may order an independent forensic examination. “If the Investigative Committee was involved in the investigation, then there is no reason to doubt the results of the examination,” Elena Igorevna is sure.

The parents of Colin Madsen, who died at the Arshan resort, received the results of an independent medical examination a year later, proving that their son was killed. In 2016, the high-profile case of the death of an American who studied at the Irkutsk Linguistic University was closed with the resolution “died of hypothermia.” However, just a year ago, independent lawyers found many inconsistencies in the conclusions of the investigation, and friends of the deceased have repeatedly stated the lack of professionalism of the local police. Details are in the FederalPress article.

Lost in a resort village

In March 2016, in two Baikal regions - Buryatia and the Irkutsk region - the news about the disappearance of American student Colin Madsen caused a major stir. A student of the Irkutsk Linguistic State University, in the company of friends, arrived in the Buryat resort village of Arshan, and disappeared on the night of March 27.

Colin's friends admit that they had a hard time getting the attention of the local police.

“The case really began to be dealt with only after the noise raised through the media. On the first day, we couldn’t find the police here at all; the stronghold was closed. And when they found it, investigators began accusing the very guys who were on the hike with Colin of killing him. They insulted them, threatened them, took away all their means of communication and money,” recalls fellow student of the deceased Anna Sh. “The search began only on April 1, when it became known that Colin’s mother, Dana, was flying from the States to Siberia. And on April 4, the search group found Colin dead in a very visible place, literally a kilometer from the house where the guys were staying. Investigators announced that, under the influence of drugs, our friend went to the mountains, got lost there and died of hypothermia.”

Colin’s acquaintances and friends immediately doubted this version: the American was an experienced tourist and had been to Arshan, which in principle has no difficult tourist routes, for the fourth time. In addition, Colin had already been studying in Irkutsk for three years by that time and knew the Russian language very well.

“He even understood Russian humor, he spoke Russian perfectly. The accent was only light. He was a non-conflict guy; rather, on the contrary, he tried to be the first to smooth out disputes,” admits Stanislav, a friend of the deceased. – It’s generally strange about drugs. This version suddenly appeared on the ninth day after his disappearance, before the results of the first medical examinations, and immediately after American diplomats became interested in the case. Before this, the police had no less strange conclusions - we were even accused of homosexual relations. Like, why are you four guys gathered here, not drinking, without girls? The person couldn’t believe that it was possible to go to the mountains without alcohol.”

Dana Madsen-Calcutt says that when she arrived in Arshan, the police asked her about her son’s sexual orientation, wondering why the guys were staying in the same house without women or alcohol.

“Colin’s body was found just a few minutes’ walk from the main road in the village. But the police didn’t let me go there, they scared me that there was a “very treacherous and dangerous” climb there. Later it turned out that even small children go up there,” says the mother of the deceased. “My husband and I immediately had suspicions about the professionalism of the investigators, and now concrete evidence has emerged of the murder of our son.”

Evidence after a year

The examination for the Madsen-Calcutt family was carried out by the private laboratory Independent Forensic Services. Specialists from the IFS analyzed photographs from the place where Colin was found, and also studied materials from the autopsy procedure and the results of toxicological analysis.

“Forensic examination showed that Colin died in a different place from where his body was found. While still alive, he received a blow to the head, and then, most likely, was strangled. Injuries to his wrists and arms indicate that he resisted and tried to defend himself. Experts have confirmation that someone is trying to hide the true causes of our son’s death,” said Dana Madsen-Calcutt.

In the medical report, American specialists also noted various injuries on Colin’s body and clothing. Injuries to the hands and wrists, in their opinion, indicate that the guy was tied up. In addition, experts were alerted by wounds on the ankles and legs of the deceased, which could not have appeared if the deceased was running through the forest in boots. Meanwhile, they found Colin wearing shoes. The examination also established that the student’s underwear and trousers were put on after his death, and at the time of his death the American clenched his hands into fists.

“Specialists noticed that in the photo from the place where the body was found, there is no son’s chain. But the police themselves gave it to me, immediately after Colin was found. Where did the police get the chain?” – asks the mother of the deceased.

The IFS also recorded the fact that there were no traces of wild animals on the corpse. Although, judging by the conclusions of the investigation, the body lay in the wild for eight days, during which time the animals would have at least eaten the soft tissue.

By a strange coincidence, the street cameras, aimed precisely at the bridge over the local river Kyngagra, which Colin had to cross on the way to the rock where his body was found, “didn’t work” that night. With this wording, the local police refused to provide video materials to the investigation.

Colin's friends and family also empirically refuted the police's assertion that the resort was safe at night. At three o'clock in the morning, Colin's family and friends, as well as the US consul and embassy workers, specially went down to the river and discovered that cars were constantly driving across the bridge even at night, many stopped at the very shore, and aggressive drunks were also walking around the village in groups and alone locals and tourists.

Colin's father, Mick Calcutt, last week asked US President Donald Trump to influence Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It is necessary that the case closed in July be reopened and Colin’s death investigated as a homicide,” Calcutt said.

On July 10, a number of media outlets reported a statement from the mother of the deceased student from the United States, Dana Madsen-Calcutt. At a press conference in London, she said that independent experts had found evidence that Colin was killed at a resort in Buryatia.

Medical report “Review of the death of Colin Robert Lloyd Madsen” was completed by private company called Independent Forensic Services (IFS). It is located in Confer, Colorado. Her specialty: DNA analysis. The final report is signed by biochemist Richard Eiklenboom and his wife Selma.

Analysis of independent death report

The Irkutsk newspaper "Friday" received the document and conducted brief analysis conclusions made in an American laboratory.

The publication notes that experts did not conduct independent research into the death of the American. The analysis was performed solely on the basis of materials submitted by the student’s parents. These are photographs from the scene of the body's discovery, during the autopsy in the United States, and from the funeral home. Scientists also had a video of the autopsy in Russia, translation of the autopsy results into English language, toxicological analysis, again carried out by Russian experts, carried out in Russia.

The final report fits on six pages of a standard document in pdf format. The American laboratory draws attention to several points. The first of these is the absence of animal marks on Colin's body. Experts say that within eight days the corpse should show more serious damage from “animal activity (eating body parts) and insects.”

Further, American experts note that the description given at the crime scene indicates the characteristic stiffness of the body. However, experts say there should be no rigor mortis after eight days of death.

Another point that attracted the attention of researchers was the spots, or rather their nature, on Colin’s face. The fact is that his nose was severely compressed and blood could not enter the nasal cavity. Based on this, the laboratory concluded that Madsen had been lying face down for some time after his death.

A similar phenomenon is observed as a result of asphyxia, experts come to the opinion.

It is then suggested that the body was moved to the place where it was found after death: “It is unlikely that the victim died in the place where he was found.”

The following paragraphs of the report are also in the nature of assumptions. The wording uses modal verbs “could”, “could”, phrases “most likely”, “presumably”, write Pyatnitsa journalists and give examples:

“There are injuries on the deceased’s ankles and legs. If the deceased ran through the forest in boots, then his legs would not have been damaged.”

"Injuries to the victim's hands and wrists indicate that the victim was restrained."

“The underwear and trousers were most likely worn by the victim after death. The damage to the fabric of the victim's pants, located in an odd location on the back, is not consistent with damage sustained while running through the woods."

“At the time of death, the victim was most likely clenching his hands into fists.”

“The chain allegedly worn by the victim is not visible in photographs taken at the crime scene. However, it was this chain that was handed over to the victim's parents by the police. Where was the chain at the time of the victim’s death?”

Other media, based on these controversial issues in Colin’s case, draw more categorical conclusions. Thus, Radio Liberty mentions that Colin was not robbed, he had an American passport and wallet with him, but there were damages to his body and clothes.

According to the publication, injuries to the hands and wrists indicate that the young man was tied up. He was hit in the head and most likely strangled. The examination found that the underwear and trousers were worn after the victim's death, and the clothes looked as if they had been washed. At the time of his death, Colin was clenching his fists: apparently trying to defend himself from the attack. Photos from the scene of the body's discovery do not show the jewelry Colin was wearing around his neck. But then the police handed him over to the mother of the deceased. Where did the police get it from?

The cord on which the pendant hangs is tied in two places, as if it had been torn off in a fight. The audio recording of the autopsy done in Russia mentions that a boot mark was found on the body, but there is no mention of this in the police report, journalists report.

The report's authors hope that the reopening of the investigation into the circumstances of Colin Madsen's death will make it possible to detect biological traces (using the DNA method) on samples taken from Colin Madsen's body. If unknown DNA is found, it can be concluded that an unknown person(s) were involved in the death.

And the conclusion of the examination states that:

1. The stage of decomposition of the body and its location according to photographs from the crime scene suggest that the victim's death occurred elsewhere.
2. Injuries found on the victim's body, as well as damage to clothing, indicate that the victim was involved in a fight.
3. The above facts confirm the hypothesis of the violent nature of death.

This report, both in form and content, is not at all similar to Russian forensic reports. Firstly, the Russian conclusions are much larger in volume. Secondly, they do not allow answers in subjunctive mood. At the very beginning there is a list of questions to which comprehensive answers must be given. Without any “probably”, “could”, “could” and “would”. Thirdly, the reports of Russian forensic experts contain detailed examinations of the body, clothing, all injuries, the results of examination of internal organs, the results laboratory research. There is nothing of this in the report of the American laboratory.

Nevertheless, American experts drew attention to important points that have not yet been clarified and continue to give rise to doubts, Friday emphasizes.

Previously, the site reported that the stepfather of the deceased, Mick Calcutt, and his mother, Dana Madsen-Calcutt, wrote an appeal to US President Donald Trump asking him to influence the course of the investigation.

On the morning of March 26, American citizen, third-year student of the Irkutsk branch of MSLU Colin Madsen, together with Irkutsk friends, went to the village of Arshan in the Republic of Buryatia, the next day they had a hike in the mountains. The company stayed at a guest house for the night. At five in the morning the tourists woke up and... found Madsen’s bed empty. According to media reports, the jacket and phone of the missing man remained in the house; he himself, with documents, in a T-shirt and trousers, disappeared without a trace. A four-day search yielded no results.

The disappearance of an American student in Siberia, at night, under mysterious circumstances, is a plot worthy of an Agatha Christie detective story, the only pity is that it all happened for real.

First messages

Everyone learned the story about the missing person from social networks when Kolin’s friend Natalia Tugutkhonova wrote about what happened on VKontakte on March 29.

In two days, the publication collected 800 likes and more than 650 shares.

“This is the kindest person I have met in my life. I would never have thought that something like this could happen to him. Find yourself, dudio,” writes Vitaly Stogov.

“Friend, what are you doing...(,” comments a user under the nickname Tomorrow Iswithus.

“Guys, I just found out, I don’t know the details, most likely, volunteers will be needed for the search, please contact the people at the numbers provided if you have any information,” asks Ipihka Belka.

Colin himself last time logged into VKontakte on March 25. On his page, almost all posts are dedicated to Russian culture and language.

Attention, wanted!

So why did Colin leave?

The question is still rhetorical. Did you run away from people into nature and get lost or run into criminals?

According to the Buryatia portal Baikal-Daily, shamans believe that spirits may be involved in the incident.

“There are a lot of holy places here. If you don’t “spray,” the owners of the places “lead by the hand.” You need to pay your respects before going. Such tragedies occur from ignorance. I will ask other shamans to spray, look at the rosary and pray for the young tourist. If we receive information, we will inform the police,” the publication quoted shaman Radna Dashitsyrenova as saying.

The guy’s close friend, ABC school teacher Natalya Yuseva, said that Colin is a gentle, non-conflict, nature-loving person. I wouldn't get involved in a fight myself.

“I have no idea why Colin would go out at night wearing just a T-shirt. I can only assume he wanted to get some fresh air. Colin loves nature, especially virgin nature, pure, unspoiled by industrialization... This is exactly the kind of nature we have in Siberia. Colin has great respect for local shrines. I don’t even consider the suicide version, since Colin looks to the future with great hope. At the end of this school year Colin wants to take international exam in Russian and receive the appropriate certificate,” said Yuseva.

The interlocutor emphasized that her friend had been to Arshan and Olkhon several times, and knew his way around these places well.

On Monday, April 4, rescuers found the body of Colin Madsen on a mountainside 2 kilometers from the village of Arshan.