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Police arrest man in connection with Russian’s death

Submitted Aleksander Alferov

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By Denise G. Callahan and Justin McClelland, Staff Writers Updated 10:35 AM Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Police have booked a man into the Warren County Jail this week whom they believe was involved in the murder of a Russian immigrant in Hamilton Twp.

Ermek Abdildaev, 40, of Gurnee, Ill. was being held in Lake County Ill. until Tuesday, Nov. 10, when he was booked into the jail here on gross abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence charges, according to Lt. Jeff Braley, a detective with the Hamilton Twp. police.

Abdildaev was arrested outside of Chicago on Nov. 4 in connection with the murder of a Russian immigrant whose remains turned up in southern Warren County. He is being held without bond.

Aleksander Alferov’s remains were found in May 2007 in a small shack in a wooden area on U.S. 22/Ohio 3. He was apparently beaten to death in the fall of 2000.

Braley said they are still investigating the case and he cannot say whether Abdildaev was the person who actually killed Alferov.

“The evidence proves he was absolutely involved in the event,” he said. “But when I talk about the event, I’m talking about the disappearance and the whole package, not just the murder itself.”

Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel said more charges could be filed.

Alferov’s body was not identified until September of this year after being discovered by tree trimmers in 2007. Prior to his 2000 disappearance, he lived in Roselawn and operated his own cleaning business in Cincinnati. An autopsy revealed he was beaten severely on the head, according to police. Because his body was badly decomposed, police had to use dental records and track down relatives who live in Russia in order to obtain DNA samples to verify his identity.

Both Alferov and Abdildaev were born in Russia, but Hutzel would not comment on how they were connected. When Alferov’s identity was discovered, police discussed the possibility his death could have ties to the Russian mafia. Hutzel would not comment on those speculations.

Hutzel said several tips led police to Abdildaev but would not give further comment on what evidence existed. She said the process of finding Alferov’s possible murderers has been complicated by the time length since he disappeared and the decomposition of his body.

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