Aleshenka

Alyoshenka (, diminutive of the Russian male first name Alexey) or the Kyshtym Dwarf is an infant whose unusual mummified remains were discovered in the village of Kaolinovy, near Kyshtym, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia in mid-1996. The remains were medically examined and identified by investigators as representing the body of a prematurely born female baby with various congenital anomalies, although some medical examiners disputed this initial determination. A DNA test was subsequently conducted that strongly supported the initial conclusion, but a minor amount of controversy lingered as the original corpse itself was unavailable for sampling, having since been lost. As such, only photos and videos survive. Alternate prosaic and paranormal explanations were variously proposed.

Discovery

In mid-1996, 74-year-old Tamara Prosvirina, a resident of Kaolinovy near Kyshtym in Chelyabinsk Oblast, found a small mummified body while walking near the local cemetery and village well. She took the body home, believing it to be alive, and named it Alyoshenka.

Over the following days, Prosvirina cared for Alyoshenka as though it were a living infant. She reportedly tried to feed it and asked neighbours for medicine. Concerned that Prosvirina, who had a history of mental illness, was experiencing another psychiatric crisis, her neighbours contacted medical authorities. She was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation.

While Prosvirina was in hospital, the body remained in her home. Neighbours later turned it over to the local militsiya (police), who opened an official investigation. Pathologist Dr. Stanislav Samoshkin also dissented from Yermolaeva's opinion due to the number of anomalies and suggested "perhaps this is an animal". He further called for DNA testing to reach a more conclusive result.

Disappearance of the remains

Following the initial examination, Alyoshenka remained in police custody while investigators tried to determine its identity. Over the following months, the remains were transferred between investigators. By 2004, when DNA testing was carried out, Alyoshenka could no longer be located. Investigators instead examined preserved tissue samples.

Several explanations for the disappearance of the remains have been proposed. A local ufologist claimed that Alyoshenka had been taken away by extraterrestrials. Other accounts suggested that the remains had been acquired by a private collector. None of these claims has been verified.

In 1999, three years after Alyoshenka was discovered, Tamara Prosvirina died after being struck by a vehicle.