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American Morning

Another Gruesome Discovery in Case of Massacred Family

Aired August 22, 2001 - 09:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with another gruesome discovery in the case of a massacred family. California police have found the bloody body of a little boy, and he is the sixth member of a Ukrainian family found dead. The suspect is the child's father, and he is still on the run.

For the latest, we go live to CNN's James Hattori in Sacramento, California.

James, hello.

JAMES HATTORI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

As this investigation enters its third day, it takes a little different tone. The sole focus is finding the suspect, 27-year-old Nikolay Soltys, now that investigators have found the body of the last unaccounted for family member, his 3-year-old son, Sergey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HATTORI (voice-over): It was a search of Nikolay Soltys' abandoned car found late Monday night that led to the grisly discovery. This photograph of 3-year-old Sergey Soltys and his now- deceased mother was tucked into a car door map pocket. On the back of the photo: some writing in Russian characters.

SGT. JAMES LEWIS, SACRAMENTO CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: Which we interpreted last night to say something to the effect of "The child is in a box next to a tower on top of some garbage at the end of Watt Avenue."

HATTORI: Detectives searched the location at the north end of Sacramento County and into Placer County through Tuesday morning. Only after expanding the search area did they find the box described in the note.

LEWIS: The child was found in a cardboard box, which has been described as a box that would hold a 36-inch television. The top of the box -- there was no top of the box. The child has significant trauma. There is blood on the child and in the box. It appears as though the suspect left him there dead.

HATTORI: Investigators say they still have no idea where to find the suspect, Nikolay Soltys, a Ukrainian immigrant, nor do they have a possible motive for the stabbing deaths of his wife, aunt, uncle, their two grandchildren, and now Soltys' own son. They're asking Sacramento's Russian and Ukrainian communities for help. Community leaders say they want him found, too.

VALENTIN KALINOVSKIV, BETHANY SLAVIC CHURCH: If they would see him anywhere, they would call police immediately, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HATTORI: The big question is, where is Nikolay Soltys? And, of course, he abandoned his car next to a highway. There is speculation that perhaps he hitchhiked from there. He has family in Washington State, as well as North Carolina and New York, where he lived for a time. Investigators are pursuing those leads, and they're also asking for help from the local Ukrainian community. They posted a $10,000 reward for information -- Daryn.

KAGAN: James, have officials said if they have a feel if he is still in the Sacramento area? As you mentioned there is a large Ukrainian community in the Sacramento area, if he is there or on the run, headed outside of California.

HATTORI: There is a big community, about 75,000 here in the Sacramento area, and they're presuming that by now, everyone in that community has heard about that. And if they know anything, they'll come forward and say something. So I don't know, the chances of him hiding out here are up in the air. Is he on the run? That's a good question, too. They really don't know. They are waiting for information from somebody who might have seen them. They got alerts out to law enforcement agencies across the country. They're also moving to revoke his passport, and make sure he doesn't leave the country.

KAGAN: James Hattori in Sacramento, California, thank you.

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