22 April 2024 , 15:45
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A six-months pregnant woman has been found dead in a forest after missing for more than a week.
Ana-Maria Guja disappeared on April 12, and was last seen getting into the car of a man, believed to be a former police officer.
Her body was discovered eight days later, on Saturday, thrown into a dirt pit and covered with branches.
The killing of the 19-year-old, who was studying pedagogy, has shaken Moldova to its core.
More than 900 people helped police search for her in the city of Orhei, about 30 miles from the capital Chisinau.
Footage showed volunteers trawling through fields and woodland in the region in hope to find her alive.
After five days, police confirmed the remains of Ana-Maria were discovered in a forest, near a stream, near the village of Chițcanii.
Local media reported she was studying at the Orhei Pedagogical College and her mother said she was six-months pregnant.
It is understood that on the evening of her disappearance the victim got into the wrong car, rather than the one arranged to pick her up by her boyfriend, but this is yet to be confirmed by authorities.
Police have since arrested a 45-year-old man, who is a former police officer, for her killing.
A timeline of her disappearance shows that she got into a car on August Street at 9pm on April 12, and left in an unknown direction.
A statement from the force said: ‘The car in which the victim got in was located, and its driver identified and found.
‘The 45-year-old man has been detained for 72 hours. He is not cooperating with the investigation.’
Releasing his picture on Facebook, police said he has ‘changed his appearance a lot over time’ and appealed to members of the public to contact them if they had previously been harassed by him.
During searched of his home and car, officers discovered several items belonging to women.
A CCTV photo of the suspect driving another women in his car was published by the force as part of an appeal to speak with her.
Authorities are yet to share further details about Ana-Maria’s death or about the investigation.
A GoFundMe has been launched to help her family with funeral costs in their time of grief.