A Russian man accused of kidnapping and killing an American woman has been arraigned on murder charges.
The body of 34-year-old Catherine Serou, a graduate of UC Davis and former U.S. Marine, was found Saturday in a wooded area near the city of Nizhny Novgorod, about 250 miles east of Moscow. The suspect reportedly confessed to raping and murdering Serou, leaving her for dead.
She had been missing since Tuesday.
Her mom, Beccy Serou, told NPR her daughter’s last text message prior to her disappearance read: "In a car with a stranger. I hope I'm not being abducted." It's unknown if the victim sent the message herself.
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In a statement on Sunday, a Russian court alleged the suspect – who has yet to be identified by authorities – picked up Serou at a bus stop and killed her during an argument in a forested area about an hour later, stabbing her at least twice with a knife. It wasn’t immediately clear why the victim got into a vehicle driven by the suspect, whom she apparently did not know.
Her body was recovered about an hour after the suspect was arrested.
Investigators said the suspect, who was born in 1977, has past criminal convictions of "especially grave crimes," but didn’t elaborate further.
He's been identified by multiple news outlets as 43-year-old Alexander Popov.
Serou was a student at the nearby State University of Nizhny Novgorod.
She moved from Northern California to study at the school in 2019, as reported by KOVR. "She was just a lovely person inside and out. She was inquisitive, she was articulate," Serou’s UC Davis professor, Jenny Kaminer, told the station.
"As our family processes this news we’ll have more to say," Beccy Serou said in a short Facebook post over the weekend.
In a statement to CNN, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow confirmed Serou’s death: "We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. We are closely monitoring local authorities' investigation into the cause of death. We are providing all appropriate assistance to the family."
The suspect has been detained until at least August 15.
He faces up to life in prison if convicted of murder.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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