The missing three-year-old son of Ukrainian immigrant Mr Nikolay Soltys was found murdered and his body left in a cardboard box yesterday, a day after his father allegedly stabbed to death five other members.
The Sacromento County Sheriff's Department said the body of Sergey Soltys was discovered yesterday afternoon in a rural area north of Sacromento by detectives who had earlier found a note in his father's abandoned car indicating the child's location.
A nationwide manhunt continued yesterday as police in the US sought a man suspected of killing his pregnant wife and four other relatives before fleeing.
The horrific crime occurred in Sacramento, California, a bucolic community about an hour from San Francisco which is also home to 75,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Mr Nikolay Soltys (27) a Ukrainian, was described by friends and authorities as someone who searched for a new life in America but could not forget the traumas he had brought with him from his homeland. Mr Soltys has a history of domestic violence and mental instability.
Police said he was seen leaving his suburban home on Monday morning after stabbing his 27-year-old wife, Lyubov, who stumbled to a neighbour's doorway and collapsed. She was about three months pregnant.
He then allegedly drove to a house 20 miles away in where he killed an aunt and uncle - Galina Kukharskaya and Peter Kukharskiy - and two cousins aged 9 and 10, police said. They had no motive for the killings.
Officers were stationed at bus terminals and airports in the Sacramento area yesterday in hope of finding the pair. Detectives also were investigating reports that the man might be headed to Oregon where he has relatives.
Earlier, police found Mr Soltys' car in a parking lot behind a Sacramento DIY store. They have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.