VILNIUS - The story of the deaths of two boys in western Lithuania's Kelme region, initially thought to have been the result of drowning, took a more disturbing twist in recent days as police experts confirmed signs of strangulation on the children's bodies. The bodies of eight-year-old Tomas and his 12-year-old brother Mantas were found on March 22 on the banks of Krazante river, some 10 kilometers from the village where they lived.
The initial cause of their deaths was thought to be drowning, as both were found with their clothes on and with no apparent signs of violence. But police experts later reported that the deaths may not have been accidental.
"Preliminary data obtained by medical experts shows signs of strangulation on the bodies of the deceased boys," Kastytis Siksnys, senior prosecutor at the Siauliai prosecutor's office, told Lithuanian public radio.
He refused to give further details but said the investigation would continue. Based on initial information, police discounted the possibility that the boys could have fallen victim to pedophiles.
Tomas and Mantas disappeared on the evening of March 20, when Tomas was asked by his parents to go the local shop and Mantas left for the nearby town of Kelme to attend football practice. Their parents called the police when the two did not come home by late evening. It was later discovered that the younger brother never showed up at the shop, and the elder was not on the bus to Kelme.
The elder boy had a mobile phone with him, but he did not answer calls on the evening he disappeared and later the phone was switched off.
Local people, police and even a military helicopter checked the surroundings and the banks of the Krazante river but attempts to find the boys failed.
Some witnesses reported seeing an unfamiliar car driving around the village on the day the boys disappeared, but none could confirm seeing the boys in the car.
