A couple in Krasnodar in southern Russia was discovered to have practiced cannibalism for nearly 20 years and may be responsible for the murders of seven people, the LiveKuban.ru news outlet reported Monday.
The grisly practices came to light when a cell phone was found on Sept. 11 with selfies of a man posing with a severed hand in his mouth and snapshots of dismembered women and severed heads.
The phone was delivered to the police, who traced its SIM card to a former employee of a local military aviation academy.
Dmitry Baksheyev, 35, first told police he had stumbled on the body parts in a dumpster and decided to take photos with them before losing his phone.
Police later uncovered a dismembered corpse of a woman in a bag near the grounds of the academy where Baksheyev was employed. She was identified as a 35-year-old resident of Krasnodar, but not named.
Baksheyev subsequently confessed that he and his wife had practiced cannibalism on at least 30 occasions over 20 years. Eight body parts, some preserved in jars, and a video tutorial on cannibalism were found at their home.
Police are still investigating the case and have charged Baksheyev with only one count of murder, although according to unconfirmed reports, investigators have already found the remains of seven people at the Baksheyevs' home, LiveKuban reported.
