Story By: Anna Casap, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

This 13-year-old schoolgirl has been raped and stabbed dozens of times before having her throat cut after inviting a man that she met on social media back to her flat when her parents were out.

Her body was discovered by shocked firemen called to extinguish a blaze in the city of Khartsyzk, located in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.

When they arrived, the doors were open at the apartment on the second floor of house No. 2 on Shalimova Street on 23rd September at 5:30am. It was not revealed where the girl’s family were.

Inside the gas had been left on, and after extinguishing the blaze and securing it, they then discovered the girl’s naked body.

Her throat had been cut, and they immediately called police who confirmed the body was that of the 13-year-old Polina Soboleva who lived there with her parents.

A police spokesman said: “An unknown person cut the throat of a girl, and inflicted several dozen stab wounds. Before that he raped her and set fire to the apartment. At present, the identities of probable murder suspects have been established.”

They added that after stabbing her between 30 and 50 times, the killer or killers had set the body on fire which was the reason why she had no clothes when she was found, and also switched on the gas.

Local media reports said the girl had invited the killer to the house herself, having met him on the Russian version of Facebook, vk.com, and had not told her parents what she was doing. It was unclear if she was alone when he arrived.

The investigation is continuing.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.