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

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 with murder after wife missing since January

According to westcentralonline.com, Viktor Konokhov, 63, of Ottawa, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Olga Konokhova, 64, who was last in contact with someone in the winter of 2026.

Ottawa police described the circumstances surrounding her disappearance as suspicious. Her remains have not been found, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Officers have classified the case as a femicide — the second of the year in Ottawa and the city's sixth homicide overall in 2026. Police 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, doing so in 2024, citing what they described as an increasing epidemic of gender-based violence.

The charge comes against the backdrop of rising intimate partner violence in the capital. Statistics released in January showed 7,840 intimate partner violence incidents reported in 2025 — roughly 21 calls per day — up from an average of 18 calls per day in 2024, a six per cent year-over-year increase. Women and girls accounted for 80 per cent of victims in those cases.

There were four femicides recorded in Ottawa in 2025.

The Criminal Code reforms referenced in the wider national context — which formally classify femicide as first-degree murder — provide the legal framework under which the Konokhov charge has been laid.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)