I'd like to take a moment to let you know that we'll be taking a break next week for

the Thanksgiving holiday.

But don't worry, we do have a very special treat lined up, so stay tuned for that.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to say thank you.

Your loyalty and support is what makes this show possible, and this year more than ever,

it has meant so much to us.

From all of us here at Podcast, we wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks for listening.

Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised.

This episode includes discussions of murder and assault that some people may find offensive.

We advise extreme caution for children under 13.

It was a merciless winter's morning in Moscow, the kind of bitter cold that sets deep in your bones.

Don was breaking over the snow-covered forests of Bitsa Park, a stretch of urban wilderness in the city's southwest.

Much of Moscow was still asleep and the park was quiet.

There was little movement save for the rustling of the trees in the wind.

But just below the frozen ground, a young woman was fighting for her life.

Maria Viracheva was 19 years old.

She was three months pregnant and was trapped in a well.

Desperate to make it back to the surface.

But her way was blocked by heavy iron manhole cover.

Maria pushed at the cover with every ounce of strength she had left,

but the cover weighed 90 pounds, and she couldn't move it more than a few inches.

...