Friends of Jefferson City man found dead in Russia say police failed to launch timely search

Friends of a Jefferson City man who was found dead in Russia are now accusing Russian authorities of failing to launch a timely search.

25-year-old Colin Madsen was found dead in Siberia earlier this month after he went walked away from a guest house in freezing conditions before a planned hike with friends.

Siberian media reports Madsen’s body had no visible injuries and says his wallet was found untouched.

Right now, Madsen’s cause of death remains unclear. The Siberian Times reports that authorities have not released results of a toxicology test or autopsy.

After his disappearance, Russian authorities opened a murder investigation. The Siberian Times newspaper also reported police questioned three of Madsen’s friends, with whom Madsen was traveling.

The paper now reports those three students are claiming police were too focused on accusing them of murder and failed to launch a search. The friends apparently claim if police had launched the search sooner, they may have found Madsen early enough to save him.

The Siberian Times reports thatduring interrogations the friends were wrongly accused of Madsen’s murder, and were told they had committed sexual acts on Madsen’s body.