Russian police have launched a manhunt for the mystery lover of a flight attendant whose body was found in the bath of her Moscow airport hotel.
Albina Mukhametzyanova, 23, had been strangled, according to reports citing law enforcement officials.
Her clothed corpse was discovered in a bath full of water at a four-star hotel close to Moscow’s Vnukovo international airport.
The flight attendant used the hotel between flights and reception staff said she had several times shared a suite with a 25-year-old man who was named by law enforcement as Nikita E.
The suspected lover is not known to her friends or family, it is understood.
One theory is that she met him via a dating app.
He had gone to the hotel reception to extend the suite for 24 hours before leaving the hotel by taxi and vanishing.
Her body was later found by hotel staff.
The victim had worked as a flight attendant for a charter airline called I FLY and had made work trips to China and Vietnam as well as Russian cities.
Albina - described as “vivacious” and "happy" - had trained as a paramedic before switching to her dream job as a flight attendant.
She had moved to Moscow only three months ago from her home in provincial city Naberezhnye Chelny.
"She always wanted to be a flight attendant,” said a female friend.
"It was really her dream. She had worked in this company for three months.
“She was a very positive person. When we saw her, she never stopped laughing.”
Her sister Landysh, 26, said: “She was so happy and beautiful.
“I cannot believe that we will never see her again.”
The sister said she had not spoken about having a boyfriend.
“She had no boyfriend. I always asked her about her personal life, but she said that it was too early for her to think about it.
“But in social networks, I could see that she had lots of fans. But there was nothing serious. I would know. My sister was the closest person to me.”
She had money and sent cash home to her mother, said the sister.
Neither her family nor her friends knew Nikita E.
Pictures of him in Vnukovo Village Hotel were released to REN TV.
Officers scoured the suite for clues, showed a video released by the Russian Investigative Committee.
They are also closely examining her social media, said reports.