The ‘Snowdrop’ Case: Path of Private Detective
Almost 20 years as private detective is, frankly, a long time. And considering the many complex, dangerous, and critical situations in which private investigators constantly find themselves, balancing on the edge, one could estimate their service in this field to be two years. Moreover, there are no professional social guarantees, no support from the state or law enforcement agencies, but rather constant inspections and counteraction. Except, of course, when a private investigator has reliable protection among high-ranking officials or influential oligarchs. Not all former detectives and investigators can withstand such a regime; they either don’t want to serve the powers that be, or they refuse to carry out paid orders with a criminal taint and quickly leave. I have always worked within the legal framework, and I have encouraged and trained those investigators who worked with me and continue the work to do the same. That’s why I’m always sensitive to indifference, dishonesty, negligence, and even lawbreaking on the part of those who are supposed to protect and uphold it. It was at that moment, when I was at a crossroads: whether to remain a detective or become a lawyer, that some young men approached me about the disappearance of their friend, Sergei N.
As the men told me, Sergei was a successful businessman whose fortunes had recently taken off. He had recently bought a two-bedroom apartment in Imanta, across from the Damme shopping center, a used but still in good condition Jeep, and had a pretty girlfriend, 10 years his junior. Sergei himself was 34 at the time and on the rise.
To his friends’ surprise, Sergei disappeared. He wasn’t answering calls, he wasn’t home, his Jeep was cold, he hadn’t shown up for scheduled business meetings, and his girlfriend, Marianna, knew nothing about it. Two close friends, Sergei’s childhood friends, were seriously alarmed; this had never happened before, and they suspected something was wrong.
After searching independently, the boys went to the local police station where their friend was registered. There, they said, they were held for several hours and weren’t even properly listened to, as the officers were all busy with their own affairs. A week later, the friends returned to the station and insistently demanded that someone take their statements, as they’d been advised. The police officer filed the statement, but warned them that he could also arrest them for suspicion of committing a crime. “If there’s a man, there’s always a charge,” as one famous character used to say.
Soon, their missing person report was formally rejected, implying that no one was actually looking for Sergei N. at all. The boys persisted and, for a third time, contacted the Riga Regional Police Department. To their credit, our applicants were treated more attentively at the criminal and missing persons department than at the district police station. They were shown photographs of unidentified bodies, questioned thoroughly, and also took their statements. However, this registered statement was also forwarded to the same district police station, where it was again denied. Slightly disappointed by the police’s inaction and negligence, Sergei N.’s friends contacted a private detective. It’s logical to ask: why were only his friends searching for Sergei, while no one else in his family showed concern? The fact is that of Sergei’s missing relatives, his father was the only surviving member of his family, having long ago moved in with another family and maintaining no contact with his son. His mother and grandmother had recently passed away and were buried in the family cemetery. Furthermore, his father worked on a ship and was at sea for six months at a time, including this time. Incidentally, one of the formal reasons for the police’s inaction in this case was the lack of a report from the missing young man’s relatives.
When I took on the case, I immediately investigated the following theories: – An accident in Sergei’s area of residence and usual travel, with his possible transfer to a hospital or morgue; – Detention, arrest, and detention in appropriate places of confinement; – He is hiding from debts, threats, and persecution… I won’t bore readers with an abundance of text detailing how I investigated these theories. I’ll just say that I had to find a legal way to inspect Sergei’s car and apartment, interview his friends, acquaintances, and business partners, and trace his entire route from his last meeting with a friend to the time he was supposed to arrive but didn’t show up. Incidentally, all of this should have been done by the police who received the missing person report. But the police were apparently busy with other, more important matters. None of the theories put forward were confirmed, and the worst-case scenario remained: Sergei N. could have been murdered, but the location of his body is still unknown.
Having gathered the initial facts about the possible murder of Sergei N., I went to the head of the criminal police department at the station that had twice refused to initiate missing person proceedings. This time, I was able to insist on my findings, and criminal proceedings were initiated. However, I continued my private detective investigation and contacted detectives, now from the regional police department. Focusing on pursuing the theory of possible premeditated murder, I was able to establish the following. My acquaintance with the girl, Marianna, was not a chance encounter, but a deliberate arrangement. Marianna herself turned out to be a woman of low social responsibility, and also involved in drug trafficking. Her pimps, two drug dealer brothers, sensed a relatively wealthy client in Sergei N. The merry group decided to swindle Sergei N. out of his money, and simultaneously get him hooked on drugs and drug trafficking. Realizing the danger of the situation, Sergei N. tried to escape the gang’s influence, but they effectively took him hostage and hooked him on drugs. Sergei attempted to escape and intended to turn himself in to the police. Then the gang of thugs took him out of town to the Rizhsky district. The vegetable gardens were deserted in the winter. The bandits began torturing Sergei N., and then, seeing the futility of their attempts to make him their accomplice, decided to kill him. They began cutting their victim into pieces…
The detective reported all the information he obtained through the investigation to the homicide department of the criminal police. But, as the saying goes, no body, no case. Although a missing person’s case had already been opened, thanks to the detective! And this played a key role in the subsequent solution of the murder!
Another spring arrived, and snowdrops began to appear. Bodies under the snow are also named after this spring flower. Parts of Sergei N.’s body were discovered in a water barrel at someone’s dacha. But his head was never found. DNA testing showed that the remains matched the DNA of Sergei N., who had been the subject of a criminal investigation. I believe every reader understands that without the criminal investigation, there would have been nothing to compare the victim’s remains to. When this ominous “snowdrop” was discovered, the law enforcement machinery sprang into action. Marianna and her drug-dealing pimps were detained and charged. Amazingly, a private detective even had to insist that the investigator bury Sergei N.’s remains in the family grave, not in a common burial site for unidentified bodies. The State Police, as usual, forgot to thank the private detective for his assistance in solving a serious crime, even though General Ints Ķuzis himself was aware of the situation, not to mention the detective’s valuable information. After Sergei N.’s father returned to shore from the sea, he came to me, and I offered him my condolences…
P.S. Some time later, as a lawyer, I spoke with Prosecutor Tsirule about another case, and it turned out that she had been the one prosecuting Sergei N.’s murderers and was interested in meeting for the first time a private detective who had actually helped solve a serious murder involving dismemberment. It was after this case that I made the final decision to suspend my detective work and continue practicing law. However, I still have my detective certificate, and I renew it periodically, just in case, as I have the right to do.
Source: Path of Private Detective by Michael Chernousov
