A 62-year-old man who had been buried alive for four days was rescued after police heard his muffled screams for help coming from underground.
Moldovan officers found the man while investigating after a relative found a 74-year-old woman dead in her own home on Monday.
Police arrested a suspect in her death and, while searching his home in the same town, heard cries for help from nearby.
They began to dig and found the entrance to a makeshift grave where an 18-year-old young man had locked up the old man.
Police footage released Wednesday shows the man being carried out. He was conscious and had a wound to his neck.
A 62-year-old man buried alive for four days was rescued after police in Ustia, Moldova, heard his muffled screams for help coming from underground.
The man, in his sixties, had been buried in a makeshift grave covered with earth.
Forensic specialists were called to a residence in Ustia, northwest Moldova, on Monday after an elderly woman was found dead in her home.
Specialists from the Center for Technical, Criminal and Forensic Examinations determined that the woman died after being physically attacked and seriously injured.
Agents quickly identified an 18-year-old relative of the deceased as a suspect in her murder. Neither the victim nor the teenager were named in local media.
The suspect was reportedly found in his own home in a drunken state. He is understood to have made “confusing” and “inconsistent” statements during police questioning.
As officers searched his home for evidence, they heard disturbing sounds and cries for help coming from the ground near the home.
They headed toward the noise, began digging, and discovered a man in his sixties who had been buried in a makeshift grave covered with dirt.
He had suffered a wound to the neck, but was alive and conscious.
Officers heard disturbing sounds and cries for help coming from underground near the home and began digging in the area.
Officers are seen removing the man from the makeshift grave.
Police footage released Wednesday shows the man being carried out. He was conscious and had a wound to his neck.
The man told police that he and the teen had been drinking alcohol together on Saturday when they began arguing.
The suspect then allegedly attacked him with a knife before locking him in the makeshift basement, burying him alive and covering the entrance with dirt.
Officers believe the teen murdered the elderly woman the next day, either Sunday night or in the early hours of Monday.
He is in custody as police and prosecutors continue to investigate him for murder and attempted murder. He faces life in prison if he is convicted.
The rescued man receives treatment in the hospital.
One local said of the deceased victim: “She was a very decent woman, no one ever had any problem with her.”
