Ottawa man charged with first-degree murder in wife's disappearance

Viktor Konokhov, 63, faces first-degree murder in the disappearance of his wife Olga, missing since January. Ottawa police call it the city's second femicide of 2026.

Ottawa husband charged in femicide as wife remains missing since January

Ottawa police have charged a 63-year-old man with first-degree murder in connection with the disappearance of his wife, ottawa.citynews.ca reports.

Viktor Konokhov, of Ottawa, is accused in the death of Olga Konokhova, 64, who was last in contact with someone in the winter. Her remains have not been located and the investigation remains ongoing.

Police have classified the case as a femicide — the second of 2026 and the sixth homicide of the year in the capital. Officers define femicide as "the killing of women and girls because of their gender."

Ottawa police were the first force in Canada to formally adopt the term, in 2024, in an effort to acknowledge what the service described as an increasing epidemic of gender-based violence.

Statistics released in January show that 7,840 intimate partner violence incidents were reported in Ottawa in the prior year — roughly 21 calls per day, up from an average of 18 per day in 2024. That represents a six per cent year-over-year increase. Women and girls account for 80 per cent of victims in those incidents.

There were four femicides recorded in Ottawa in 2025.

The circumstances surrounding Konokhova's disappearance were considered suspicious from the outset, police said. Konokhov faces first-degree murder despite the absence of his wife's remains, underscoring the charge's basis in the ongoing investigation.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)