OWINGS MILLS, Md. — In the summer of 2006, teenagers discovered the body of a woman on a church property in Owings Mills, Maryland. Twenty years later, her death remains unsolved.
On June 7, 2006, police searched a property near Tollgate and Hewitt Farms roads in Owings Mills. A mobile crime lab scoured the area.
Our reporting at the time said the body was so badly decomposed that investigators initially could not determine whether it was a man or a woman.
Neighbors gathered to watch the search unfold.
"Couple days ago, we did smell something kind of foul and odorous," one neighbor told WMAR that day.
The medical examiner identified the victim as Nina Tarkovskaya, 17 days after her husband said she left home to buy cigarettes. The last time Nina was seen alive was May 21, 2006.
Four miles from where her body was found, police say they discovered her van torched.
Twenty years later, Nina's family still has questions but no answers.
Anyone with information that could help the Baltimore County Police Cold Case Unit is asked to call 410-887-3943.
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