A 22-year-old holiday-making woman seen being dragged unconscious down the street by a man before being dumped may have been a victim of an overdose of date rape drug.
The incident occurred in the city of Sochi, a resort town on the Black Sea coast in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, on the night of 12th April.
Lyudmila Shilova, 22, poses in undated photo. She was found dead in Sochi, Russia. Note: Private photo taken from local media. (Newsflash/NX)
Lyudmila Shilova was declared dead after being brought to hospital in a state of biological death, with eyewitnesses claiming she had been dragged along the ground and abandoned.
Originally from the town of Osa, Lyudmila had moved to Perm seven years earlier, where she studied at college before entering university to study law.
She worked in several legal institutions and was employed in the finance department of the Perm city administration at the time of her death.
Lyudmila Shilova, 22, poses in undated photo. She was found dead in Sochi, Russia. Note: Private photo taken from local media. (Newsflash/NX)
She loved travel and fitness and had previously holidayed alone in Sochi and Pyatigorsk.
On 11th April, she flew alone to Sochi for a break and booked into the Barkhatnye Sezony Hotel.
She remained in contact with her mother and friends, and on 12th April, she told them she had met a man named Andrey through social media.
That evening, she stopped replying to messages and calls.
When her geolocation was checked, it showed her at a hospital in Sochi’s Adler District.
Lyudmila Shilova, 22, poses in undated photo. She was found dead in Sochi, Russia. Note: Private photo taken from local media. (Newsflash/NX)
Hospital staff had told them she was "gone", later clarifying that she had arrived in a state of biological death and could not be saved.
A video circulated on social media showing Lyudmila lying unconscious in the street before being taken away by ambulance.
The footage description said she had been dragged along the ground by a man who then fled.
Doctors listed pulmonary and cerebral oedema as causes of death, and said drugs were found in her system.
Lyudmila's parents were told by doctors that a friend who was also intoxicated had identified her at the hospital, though they have been unable to confirm this individual’s identity.
The man seen dragging Lyudmila in the video wore a red checkered shirt, and her mother later found a matching image on Andrey’s social media page.
Attempts to contact him failed, and his phone was soon disconnected.
Lyudmila Shilova, 22, poses in undated photo. She was found dead in Sochi, Russia. Note: Private photo taken from local media. (Newsflash/NX)
He has reportedly not accessed his social media page in several days, although he did briefly appear online once.
Local police in Sochi confirmed they had identified the man and were conducting inquiries.
Residents told reporters there was a karaoke bar near the scene of the incident known for a violent atmosphere and incidents involving drugs.
They also mentioned a mass brawl took place that same night at the establishment.
Some believe Lyudmila may have been drugged and abandoned when her condition worsened.
Relatives are still waiting for the final autopsy results and have not yet been contacted by investigators.
They hope to retrieve information from her locked iPhone, which may hold further clues.
Her funeral took place in Perm Krai on 18th April.
(MJ Leidig / newsX)