A man accused of killing his girlfriend and stuffing her body into a suitcase before dumping it in a river has been arrested 700 miles from where she was found.
Hairstylist Valentina Tănăsie, 28, was found dead inside a suitcase floating near the bank of the Olt River in Romania. After an extensive manhunt, her boyfriend Vlad Bălțățeanu, 30, was charged with her murder.
Arrest in Switzerland
Police say he fled the country before he could be arrested before surrendering to officers in Switzerland. Valentina and Bălțățeanu are believed to have argued on the night of 20 September after he accused her of cheating on him – a claim she denied – with them both having had a few drinks.
Valentina’s father reported her missing the following day after she failed to answer his calls.
Body found in river
On 22 September, fishermen spotted a suitcase floating near the bank of the Olt River. Valentina’s naked body was discovered inside.
Forensic doctors found two traumatic injuries to her head and five broken ribs, as well as abrasions and wounds to her lower legs. They concluded she had died on 21 September from traumatic and haemorrhagic shock.
Adrian Vrăbete, a spokesman for Vâlcea’s prosecutor’s office, said: “The injuries were found to have been caused by blows with hard objects, an object with a pointed and sharp edge, possibly a knife, and compression of the chest and abdomen, possibly by someone sitting on the victim.”
Evidence and flight
Investigators searched Bălțățeanu’s home in Tomşani on 23 September. Vrăbete said officers discovered “multiple reddish-brown stains that appear to be blood” on a mattress inside the property.
Bălțățeanu, who is originally from Horezu, was charged with murder. However, he allegedly crossed the Romanian border into Hungary before he could be arrested and Romanian media now report that he surrendered more than 700 miles from the scene.
Bălțățeanu reportedly walked into a police station in St Gallen, Switzerland, on Monday night (28 Sep) and allegedly admitted killing Valentina.
Investigators believe he initially travelled to Hungary in a friend’s car before continuing towards Italy in a minibus and completing the journey to Switzerland by train.
Background and allegations
He is now in the custody of Swiss authorities, with proceedings expected to begin to return him to Romania.
Valentina and Bălțățeanu had reportedly met online and been in a relationship for around three months. Local reports claim their relationship had been marked by violent arguments and jealousy.
Valentina, who was originally from Dolj County, “wanted to get pregnant and start a family”, an uncle told local media following her death.
Romanian media have also reported that a 17-year-old girl made allegations against Bălțățeanu in September 2022. She reportedly accused him of assaulting her, holding her captive at his home and raping her. Several other women who reportedly dated Bălțățeanu have since spoken publicly about alleged episodes of jealousy and aggression, with one said to have obtained a restraining order.
Lawyer Adrian Cuculis, who is representing Valentina’s family, told Romanian media: “There’s no way he’ll get any reduction in his sentence for turning himself in and admitting to the crime. He’ll probably get life, given that it’s a femicide.”
