And today, no trace of 13-year-old Nikolay from the village of Konare was found, after police and gendarmerie teams, as well as numerous volunteers, searched the area throughout the day, BTA reports. Yesterday, the family's dog, which disappeared at the same time as the child, was found. The child's mother, as well as residents of the village, comment that the dog came home completely clean, although it had been raining heavily in the village for days. According to the mother, Denka Ilieva, the boy was kidnapped, and the dog was released into the village last night.
The dog appeared near the family's home. A resident of the village heard a noise that turned out to be from the animal's chain, but it was not established where exactly it came from. The mayor of the village, Stancho Stefanov, was immediately alerted, who called the parents and they confirmed that it was their animal. Another patrol of the village was immediately organized, and the dog led the child's mother and volunteers to the nearby dam. However, nothing was found there.
“The dog is too clean to have been in the forest or anywhere else. It was abandoned somewhere and came home, and my child was kidnapped“, said Ilieva. She said that today she has a little hope, but she continues to think that the child is the victim of a crime. “There is nothing else to assume, my child was kidnapped. That's what I think. If he's been missing for a week and they can't find him in the village, what can I think“, she said.
Today, numerous police officers and volunteers searched the entire village, the forest and the area near the dam again, and tracking and rescue dogs were involved. The reservoir was searched days ago by divers, but nothing was found then either. The police continue to work on all versions of the child's disappearance. The dog has a tracking device and is walking freely, and the teams hope that it will show the child's whereabouts.
Nikolai Iliev has Down syndrome and has been missing since December 17. He disappeared from his home, and according to his mother, everything happened in minutes. She says that he is trusting and would go with a stranger. The Ministry of Interior is categorical that regardless of the conditions, the search will continue until the child is found.