Exactly a year ago, the Usoltsev family disappeared: the mystery of the disappearance has not been solved

How it all started

According to the investigation, the family arrived in Kuturchin on September 27 and stopped at the Geosphere tourist base. Initially, the Usoltsevs planned to join the group with a guide, but the trip was canceled due to bad weather. Then they decided to go on their own - the route was supposed to take about three hours. They took a corgis dog with them.

The next day they left the car near the base and went to the Buratinka rock. No one else saw them. Relatives sounded the alarm only on October 1, and on the same evening a large-scale search operation was launched in the vicinity of Kuturchin, the equal of which was not previously in the region.

Why did the search yield nothing

The family got caught in the grindstones of bad weather. On the day of the disappearance, it became sharply colder, it began to rain ice, and then snow. Very quickly taiga wrapped snowdrifts, making it difficult to rescue. In 11 days of active search, no trace was found. The large-scale operation involved about 400 people, surveyed about 500 roads, but the result was zero.

In January and June 2026, the search resumed. The last large-scale operation was carried out in June, but it did not yield results. The Investigative Committee said in September 2026 that it was not planned to resume the search, although the investigation of the criminal case is ongoing.

Investigation versions

To date, the GSU of the Investigative Committee of Russia in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia is considering two priority versions: an accident and a possible crime against family members. No traces of struggle or other signs of crime have yet been found, so the accident remains the main version.

Lawyer Dmitry Kravchenko explained to TASS that the criminal case can be terminated only if it is reliably established: the cause of the disappearance was not a crime, but other reasons - an accident, an animal attack or voluntary care. There are no deadlines for the investigation of such cases, the case can be extended as long as necessary.

New theories and searches

In September 2026, on the anniversary of the disappearance, a new version appeared. The head of the search organization “PrimPoisk” Christina Wulfert suggested that the Usoltsevs could hide in a cave or gorge, which was not examined by the search teams. If the weather gets worse, people will seek shelter out of a sense of self-preservation. In the rocky area, which is famous for Kuturchinsk Belogorye, a failed person can simply not be noticed.

Wulfert also noted that in the fall, search engines have a chance: fallen foliage and dried grass open the review, which in the summer was blocked by dense vegetation.

What they say about tragedy

Biologist Dmitry Safonov called the version of the attack bears possible, but pointed to many contradictions. The family disappeared at the end of September, when the bears were already preparing for hibernation and were inactive. In addition, after the attack of predators, traces should have remained, but no one found them.

Family friend Valentin Degterev expressed doubts about the official versions, drawing attention to strange details: Irina’s son Danil Batalov began the search only three days later, and also got rid of the phone, where correspondence could remain. Batalov himself said that he does not conduct independent searches, as he is sure that the family is no longer on Kuturchin.

Results of the year

It's been exactly a year. In the taiga of Kuturchinsky Belogorye, no bodies, no things, no traces were found. The investigation is ongoing, but there are no new leads. Versions are multiplying - from accident and bear attack to escape and crime - but none have been confirmed. The mystery of the disappearance of the Usoltsev family remains unsolved.