Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
It is a fact that smells evoke memories because they are often associated with strong emotions. This was also the case with Anatoli Yemelyanovich Slviko, who was so aroused by the smell of burnt human flesh that he became a serial killer. Anatoli was a married father of two who was not only an award-winning amateur filmmaker in Russia, but also the director of the “Tschergid” children’s club. But then, in 1961, a terrible traffic accident occurred that changed Anatoli’s life forever. Anatoli witnessed a teenager in a pioneer uniform being hit by a bus and burned alive. This triggered sexual arousal in Anatoli. For years, the memory of this event was enough to stimulate him sexually. After that, Anatoli tried to achieve this through the smell of fire and gasoline. But soon this was no longer enough for Anatoli, which is why he began to shamelessly exploit his position as head of the children’s club. Anatoli gained the trust of the gullible boys. He convinced them that he was conducting an experiment to achieve spinal elongation. This required strangulation, which would lead to unconsciousness. He promised the boys that he would revive them immediately. In fact, this absurd plan worked, and within 21 years, 43 boys aged 13 to 17 agreed to take part in this experiment. Anatoli proceeded according to the following modus operandi. When the boys were unconscious, he sexually abused them. He recorded everything on video and also took photographs. He kept the boys’ shoes as souvenirs. In total, Anatoli successfully revived 36 boys, whom he convinced that they were very lucky to be alive. Due to the loss of oxygen, the boys had memory lapses and did not tell anyone about Anatoli’s life-threatening experiments. However, seven boys did not survive Anatoli’s experiment. His first victim to lose his life as a result of Anatoli’s experiment was a 15-year-old homeless boy, whose corpse Anatoli first molested before dismembering it and then burying it. Years passed until November 14, 1973, when 15-year-old Alexander Nesmejanow from Newinnomyssk died in Anatoli’s experiment. Two years later, on May 11, 1975, 11-year-old Andrej Pogasjan disappeared, and his mother accused Anatoli of killing her boy. But the police did not believe her, as Anatoli was considered a respected educator. In 1982, 15-year-old Slava Khovistik died as a result of Anatoli’s experiment. Anatoli’s last victim was 13-year-old Sergei Pavlov, who had told his neighbors that he had an appointment with Anatoli on July 23, 1980. Anatoli had sex with all the dead boys, whom he dismembered and burned, except for his first victim. But Anatoli’s last victim was his undoing. In November 1985, prosecutor Tamara Languyeva investigated the case of Sergei Pavlov. She followed up on the neighbors’ clues and also questioned the boys from the children’s club. They eventually told her about Anatoli’s experiments. After extensive investigations, Anatoli was arrested in December 1985 and charged with seven counts of murder, seven counts of sexual abuse, and necrophilia. In 1986, Anatoli was sentenced to death. Anatoli spent three years on death row in Novokherkassk prison before his execution. After being questioned about serial killer Andrei Chikatilo, who had slaughtered 53 people, Anatoli was killed with a shot to the head.
