Police complete investigation into especially cruel murder in Rēzekne

The State Police in Latvia have concluded their investigation into the murder of a man born in 1999, killed with particular cruelty in Rēzekne, in the Latgale region. On 30 October the case materials were handed to the prosecutor's office, which will decide on starting criminal prosecution. Two men have been detained and remanded in custody in the case.

How the victim was found

The disappearance was reported to police on 7 January 2026. Officers of the Ziemeļlatgale precinct of the State Police Latgale Regional Department received the information and immediately began searching. On 9 January, a body showing signs of violent death was found in an apartment building in Rēzekne. After the killing, the body had been wrapped in a sheet and left on a balcony.

Detentions and legal classification

The investigation was carried out by the precinct's Investigation Division, working with officers from the Riga Regional Department and the Central Criminal Police Department. In Riga, men born in 1993 and 1998 were detained as suspected perpetrators. Both were placed in pretrial detention; for the man born in 1993, detention was imposed under a separate criminal case.

Investigators established that a conflict arose between the people while they were drinking alcohol, after which the offence was committed. The case against both men is classified under parts four and ten of Section 117 of the Criminal Law. The offence carries life imprisonment or a prison term of ten to twenty years, plus probation supervision of up to three years, with or without confiscation of property.

The State Police remind the public that no one is considered guilty until guilt in committing a criminal offence has been proven in the manner prescribed by law.