October 17, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Lola Karabaeva, 61, was found wrapped in plastic inside a closet at her Northeast Philadelphia home on Wednesday. She had been reported missing on Sunday. Her husband, 65-year-old Vladimir Lushevskiy, has been charged with abuse of a corpse and could face additional charges, police said.
The body of a 61-year-old woman who was reported missing over the weekend was found wrapped in plastic in the closet of a home in Northeast Philadelphia on Wednesday, police said. Her husband is in custody and charged with abuse of a corpse.
Detectives found the body of Lola Karabaeva at a home on the 9000 block of Diplomat Place, where investigators had visited Sunday to talk with one of Karabaeva's friends about her disappearance. Investigators said she had last been heard from on Saturday. Police put out a public alert about Karabaeva on Monday.
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When authorities returned to the Bustleton home on Wednesday to search the property, they found Karabaeva dead in a closet. The cause of her death has not yet been determined, police said. Vladimir Lushevskiy, 65, was later arrested and charged.
Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told the Inquirer investigators are looking into whether Karabaeva's death may have stemmed from an argument about the couple's late son, Evgeniy Lushevskiy. The 19-year-old went missing in California in 2004 after going for a hike by himself on a popular trail in the San Gabriel Mountains. His remains were not found and identified until six years later.
Police said the investigation is ongoing with the department's homicide unit and additional charges could be filed against Lushevskiy.
