More than a month after disappearing from a beach, police said the decapitated body of a Latvian tourist was found hanging upside down in a forest.
According to The Irish Sun, police in Kerala, India, have arrested two people in connection with the disappearance and death of Liga Skromane, 33, (pictured left) whose decomposed body was discovered on April 21. Investigators have since confirmed that Skromane had been strangled.
Police said the suspects are drug dealers, with one of them being “sexual pervert who had abused women and men in the past” near the same marsh where Skromane’s body was found, NDTV reported.
Irish News reported that Skromane had lived in Ireland for five years before her death. Along with her sister, the pair reportedly traveled to India to participate in a holistic treatment retreat on February 4.
Skromane is believed to have vanished from a Kerala beach on March 21. A local fisherman found her body on April 21, according to the newspaper.
@ShashiTharoor @SushmaSwaraj More than 3 WEEKS ago my sister Liga Skromane Citizen of Latvia disappeared with no trace at Kovalam Beach, Kerala. Police is searching intensively but no clues so far. Family is heartbroken and getting more worried every day! Please help us!! 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/VIaJbx6mEW
— Ilze Skromane (@pilzeilze) April 5, 2018
Since then, police have reportedly seized a boat possibly used to take Skromane to Vazhamuttom, where her body was discovered. Two women have told authorities that they witnessed the victim going into the mangrove alone. Locals have told the media that the area is frequented by drug peddlers who disguise themselves as anglers.
The New Indian Express wrote that authorities are trying to determine whether Skromane was sexually assaulted. The suspects are believed to have given Skromane some sort of psychedelic drug. However, The Express reported that police are unsure if she was sexually assaulted before she was stranged.
My Sister Līga has been missing for 6 days in Kerala India please help!
— Ilze Skromane (@pilzeilze) March 19, 2018
The Sun reported that a funeral took place Thursday in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala’s capital. She’ll be cremated before her remains are flown to her native Latvia for a memorial service.
“For now I am focusing on the funeral. She loved Kerala and had received a lot of love and support,” the slain woman’s sister, Ilze Skromane (pictured right), said.
“We don’t want to leave India with only bad memories. The funeral will be a private affair. On Sunday there will be a memorial, which will be open to [the] public. It will be a tribute to her life.”
[Featured Image: Liga Skromane/GoFundMe]
