'Cannibal Couple' Accused of Killing, Eating Up to 30 People

Russian investigators believe a couple may have killed, skinned, and eaten up to 30 people over the past two decades, even secretly feeding "canned human meat" to unsuspecting soldiers at the military academy where they worked, the Washington Post reports. According to the Moscow Times, a construction worker in the city of Krasnodar found a cellphone Sept. 11 that contained gruesome images: a man taking a selfie with a severed hand in his mouth, severed heads, and dismembered women. Authorities say police traced the phone's SIM card to 35-year-old Dmitry Baksheev, who initially claimed he found the body parts in a dumpster and took pictures with them. He allegedly later confessed that he and his wife had killed and eaten perhaps 30 people, which would put them among Russia's worst serial killers.

While many details of the case are unknown or unconfirmed, authorities say the alleged murders date back to at least 1999, CNN reports. That's the time stamp on a photo found in the couple's home that appears to show a severed head and fruit on a serving plate. Authorities say they also found eight body parts preserved in jars with saline solution, the remains of seven people, and a how-to video on cannibalism in the couple's apartment. According to the BBC, "food fragments and frozen meat pieces of unknown origin" found in the apartment are being tested for human DNA. Authorities say Baksheev and his wife, Natalia Baksheeva, would knock their victims out with sedatives, though it's unclear how they chose their victims. So far authorities have only charged Baksheev with a single count of murder. (More cannibalism stories.)