A man suspected of killing his girlfriend, stuffing her body into a suitcase and dumping it in a river has been arrested after allegedly fleeing more than 700 miles.
Hairstylist Valentina Tănăsie, 28, was found dead inside a suitcase floating near the bank of the Olt River in Romania.
Her boyfriend Vlad Bălțățeanu, 30, was later charged with her murder but allegedly fled the country before he could be arrested.
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He has now reportedly surrendered to police in Switzerland, as reported by Need To Know.
Valentina and Bălțățeanu are believed to have argued on the night of 20 September after he accused her of cheating on him – a claim she denied.
Bălțățeanu is believed to have been drunk at the time.
Valentina’s father reported her missing the following day after she failed to answer his calls.
On 22 September, fishermen spotted a suitcase floating near the bank of the Olt River.
Valentina’s naked body was discovered inside.
Forensic doctors found two traumatic injuries to her head and five broken ribs, as well as abrasions and wounds to her lower legs.
They concluded she had died on 21 September from traumatic and haemorrhagic shock.
Adrian Vrăbete, a spokesman for Vâlcea’s prosecutor’s office, said: “The injuries were found to have been caused by blows with hard objects, an object with a pointed and sharp edge, possibly a knife, and compression of the chest and abdomen, possibly by someone sitting on the victim.”
Investigators searched Bălțățeanu’s home in Tomşani on 23 September.
Vrăbete said officers discovered “multiple reddish-brown stains that appear to be blood” on a mattress inside the property.
Bălțățeanu, who is originally from Horezu, was charged with murder.
However, he allegedly crossed the Romanian border into Hungary before he could be arrested.
Romanian media now report that he surrendered more than 700 miles from the scene.
Bălțățeanu reportedly walked into a police station in St Gallen, Switzerland, on Monday night (28 Sep) and allegedly admitted killing Valentina.
Investigators believe he initially travelled to Hungary in a friend’s car before continuing towards Italy in a minibus and completing the journey to Switzerland by train.
He is now in the custody of Swiss authorities, with proceedings expected to begin to return him to Romania.
Valentina and Bălțățeanu had reportedly met online and been in a relationship for around three months.
Local reports claim their relationship had been marked by violent arguments and jealousy.
Valentina, who was originally from Dolj County, “wanted to get pregnant and start a family”, an uncle told local media following her death.
Romanian media have also reported that a 17-year-old girl made allegations against Bălțățeanu in September 2022.
She reportedly accused him of assaulting her, holding her captive at his home and raping her.
Several other women who reportedly dated Bălțățeanu have since spoken publicly about alleged episodes of jealousy and aggression, with one said to have obtained a restraining order.
Lawyer Adrian Cuculis, who is representing Valentina’s family, told Romanian media: “There’s no way he’ll get any reduction in his sentence for turning himself in and admitting to the crime.
“He’ll probably get life, given that it’s a femicide.”
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