An 81-year-old serial killer who fed children human flesh has died after contracting the coronavirus.
Sofya Zhukova, who was awaiting trial over the killings of at least three people, is said to have passed away on Dec. 29 at a hospital in Khabarovsk, Russia.
Zhukova’s victims, according to police, included an 8-year-old girl. During her arrest, officers located human remains belonging to the girl at Zhukova’s home as well as human intestines in her refrigerator.
As reported by the Mirror, Zhukova is believed to have begun her killing spree in 2005 after the death of her husband.
Zhukova had been taken into custody after a roommate went missing in January 2019. Locals had claimed that Zhukova regularly carried an ax and was known for killing cats.
One local, identified by the Mirror as Tatyana, also claimed that Zhukova often gave children “jellied meat” that police say was made from her human victims.
“They were always meat dishes. Sometimes she gave them to the adults, she bought me and my husband plates with jellied meat,” Tatyana said. “I remember it well because my husband said let’s not eat it, you never know what it was made from, and now it looks like he was right.”
Zhukova’s prosecution had been pushed back due to the ongoing pandemic. Zhukova was commonly referred to as the “Russian Sweeney Todd” and was suspected of being responsible for a fourth murder as well.