Police: Rampage Suspect May Have Lured Son  

By DON THOMPSON
.c The Associated Press


SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Aug. 22) - A man suspected of fatally stabbing his pregnant wife and five other family members may have used toys to lure his 3-year-old son into the box where he was found slain, investigators said.

Police found the toddler's bloody body in the cardboard box on Tuesday as they searched for Nikolay Soltys, 27.

A warrant has been issued for Soltys' arrest on suspicion of five counts of murder. Sheriff's Sgt. James Lewis said investigators also believe he's responsible for his son's death.

Sheriff Lou Blanas called Soltys a ''cold-blooded, calculated killer,'' and warned that anyone assisting him is ''at risk of being his next victim.''

Authorities said they were protecting at least a dozen of Soltys' relatives in the Sacramento area Wednesday because of fears he might kill again. After abandoning his car, Soltys was spotted Monday night with his son in a green Ford Explorer, investigators said.

Sheriff's Detective Ron Garverick, the lead investigator, said two sets of footprints went into the area where 3-year-old Sergey Soltys' body was found, under a microwave tower east of Sacramento. Only one set of footprints led out, Garverick said.

''Little Sergey was found in the box sort of head down,'' Garverick said.

The box also contained several new toys ''as if the father enticed the boy into the box with the toys,'' Garverick said.

Police found the boy by following directions written on the back of a photograph of the child and his mother left in Soltys' abandoned Nissan Altima.

A second note from Soltys was found with a list of the slayings, suggesting each had been killed ''for speaking out,'' Garverick said. Police previously said family members may have chastised Soltys for not having a job, but Garverick said the meaning of the message was unclear.

Police said Soltys stabbed Lyubov Soltys, 22, inside the couple's home, then drove to the Rancho Cordova home where he stabbed his aunt and uncle, Galina Kukharskaya, 74, and Petr Kukharskiy, 75.

Authorities said Soltys then attacked two 9-year-old cousins, Tatyana Kukharskaya and Dimitriy Kukharskiy, the grandchildren of the slain couple.

Gravely wounded, the children ran from the home. Dimitriy died in his mother's arms, while Tatyana was taken to University of California at Davis Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.

About an hour after leaving Rancho Cordova, investigators said, Soltys arrived at his mother's house in Citrus Heights to pick up his son. Soltys' mother told police her son seemed fine and showed no signs that anything was wrong. Police refused to release her name.

Detectives were investigating whether Soltys had a violent temper and if drugs or mental illness played a role in the killings.

In his native Ukraine, authorities said, Soltys was rejected by the national army because of mental instability. He also had a history of domestic violence in Ukraine with his first wife. Soltys came to the United States almost three years ago and has no known criminal record.

The reward for information leading to his capture has grown to more than $30,000, Blanas said.

AP-NY-08-22-01 2145EDT