A close family friend of 61-year-old Olga Vasilieva has revealed how information provided by her son in Russia, CCTV footage and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance helped police identify the suspect in her murder.
Lawyer Pampоs Ioannou, who described himself as one of Vasilieva’s closest friends, spoke about their relationship, the events that raised concerns about her disappearance and the information that eventually led investigators towards the Syrian suspect.
Speaking on the television programme Protoselido, Ioannou said their relationship had developed over the years to the point where they had become almost family.
Family friend was unaware of her relationship with suspect
Ioannou explained that Vasilieva, who was originally from Russia and had acquired Cypriot citizenship around 10 years ago, had developed close friendships with people who assisted her with business activities and personal affairs abroad.
He said he knew about several of her previous relationships but had not been aware of her relationship with the Syrian man suspected of killing her.
“The particular relationship with the particular person, who ultimately was the person who murdered her, was something she had never mentioned to me. All the information concerning the Syrian man came from her son,” he said.
Dog’s barking raised alarm over her disappearance
Ioannou was the person who filed a missing person report on 28 October, after neighbours informed him that Vasilieva’s dog had been barking persistently and her car had been missing for several days.
He said he knew how devoted she was to her pet and that she would never knowingly leave it unattended.
The initial information he received suggested that her car had been missing since 23 October. However, this date later proved incorrect.
Ioannou said the discrepancy may have helped investigators establish the timeline of events, as the suspect reportedly admitted meeting Vasilieva on 26 October.
According to the lawyer, the suspect’s account was initially compared with information published by the media and police, which indicated that she had been missing since 23 October.
CCTV footage from her apartment building subsequently established that her car had disappeared on 26 October.
This development helped authorities establish that something had happened between the two individuals around that time.
Son found photograph of Syrian suspect
A crucial development came through communication between Ioannou and Vasilieva’s son, who lives in Russia.
After learning that his mother was missing and that her dog had reportedly been left alone in the apartment for days without food or water, Ioannou became convinced that something serious had happened.
He initially hoped she might have been kidnapped and was being held for ransom.
He then began searching through his telephone records and emails while asking her son for information about his mother’s personal relationships.
The son initially mentioned several relationships that Ioannou already knew about before revealing that his mother had recently been seeing a Syrian man.
Ioannou said the son had very little information about the individual. He did not know his name, telephone number or address, but remembered that his mother had mentioned the relationship.
However, the son eventually managed to find a photograph of the man on his telephone, which his mother had sent him at an earlier date.
Ioannou immediately forwarded the photograph to the Limassol Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Lawyer praises Limassol police investigation
Ioannou also publicly praised the Limassol CID officers involved in the investigation, singling out police inspector Elias Kreouzos.
He described the officers’ efforts as exceptional, referring to the long hours and multiple shifts they had worked to investigate the case.
“The work carried out by the Limassol CID officers, and particularly Inspector Elias Kreouzos, has genuinely left me speechless. They worked incredibly hard, through triple shifts, late nights and early mornings. I take my hat off to them,” he said.
Addressing criticism of the Police, he added that people who believe the force does not do a good job had not experienced what he had witnessed during the investigation.
Previous financial disputes and personal relationships
Speaking about the possibility of a financial motive, Ioannou revealed that he had previously represented Vasilieva in court cases involving individuals she accused of financially defrauding her.
He said some of those cases were dismissed and that she had repeatedly been taken advantage of by people within her close social circle rather than strangers.
According to Ioannou, Vasilieva had become more cautious about lending money to people who presented themselves as friends or romantic partners.
However, he said she continued to seek companionship and wanted to have someone in her life.
He also described her as relatively private and not particularly sociable in recent years, maintaining only a small circle of friends.
Although she had previously driven luxury cars, he said she had opted for more modest vehicles over the past four to five years and generally kept a low profile.
Despite this, Ioannou remembered her as an empathetic and compassionate person who was always willing to help those genuinely in need.
Also read: Murder of 61-year-old Olga: Head injuries discovered, 43-year-old suspect rearrested
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