Writer's kidnapped son, 13, found dead

The 13-year-old son of a fantasy writer has been found dead in southern Russia after being allegedly kidnapped for ransom.

Ivan Belyanin’s body was found under a bridge in Astrakhan, about 800 miles south of Moscow. The discovery came a day after authorities detained and began questioning a suspect in connection with the boy’s disappearance, said Nurislyam Uzbekov, spokesman for the regional police.

The man is now facing charges of murder, Uzbekov said. He could not say what led police to the suspect.

However, the ITAR-Tass news agency said police had detained the suspect, whom it identified as 20-year-old Ivan Kostalyev, when he tried to collect the ransom.

It said that the kidnappers had demanded €89,000 for the boy and ordered his father, writer Andrei Belyanin, to deliver it by today.

The boy’s father sought police help, and officers from the Federal Security Service made the arrest, but the man said that the boy had already been killed, the news agency said.

Belyanin is well known in Russia for his fantasy works. He is the author of 15 books, many of them best sellers that have sold more than two million copies.