Authorities said they found the bodies of two men from Medford who were reported missing one week ago and a man has been charged in connection to their murder.
The Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office said Friday 28-year-old Pavel Vekshin and 37-year-old Kiryl Schukin, residents of an apartment on Locust Street, were reported missing by friends and coworkers on Sunday, April 9. But Vekshin and Schukin have not been seen or heard from since March 30, the office said.
Late Friday night, police investigated a storage unit in Brighton that had been rented using the victim’s names, police said.
Authorities say they found the bodies inside rubber storage bins in the unit and one of the bodies had been dismembered.
Bleach, rubber gloves and items belonging to Schukin were also found there, according to authorities.
A man identified as Leonid Volkov, 37, of Medford, who was known to the victims, was arrested without incident in North Attleboro on Saturday and charged with murder.
Police say Schukin had been a guarantor on the lease for the apartment of Volkov in Medford but declined to keep being the guarantor for a lease extension, which resulted in Volkov being evicted from his apartment.
According to investigators, Volkov and Schukin had met in a U-Haul truck on March 29, 2023. They also said a person believed to be Volkov was seen entering and leaving the victims’ building in the days following the last time both victims were seen.
Investigators say the U-Haul was found at the storage facility where the bodies were found. Authorities believe Volkov was using it to transport items from the victims’ Locust Street apartment to the storage facility.
Medford Police Chief Jack Buckley said there is no danger to the community.
Volkov will be arraigned on Tuesday in Somerville District Court.
