The Alyoshenka Incident - Russia's Alien Baby?

In May of 1996, a babushka from the village of Kaolinovy found something very strange in the woods....

Music Credits:

Music: Spacial Harvest by Kevin MacLeod

Music: Energetic & Drive Indie Rock by WinnieTheMoog

Music: Simple Music to Frighten Small Children By by Kevin MacLeod

[MS-Borjarnon]

Whoever or whatever Alyoshenka was, they were also a small little thing in a big cold world, and that old lady did her best to care for them when nobody else would. They both deserved better.

[TheElbowMerchant]

There is a condition called Aperts Syndrome, which is where a newborn is birthed with already fused skull plates. No "soft spots" that fuse as the person grows up. Without surgical intervention, a baby with Aperts Syndrome would certainly die, as the brain continues to grow, but with the skull being unable to grow to accommodate it. Children with Aperts Syndrome tend to have almost a hexagonal like shape to their heads, even with many years of surgical intervention to expand the skull. Not saying that is definitely the cause of the unusual shape to the "alien" baby's head, but it's worth considering for anyone not looking for an out-of-this-world answer.

[EddieM]

Honestly, however Tamara found the baby, she is the best of us. She took in this little baby and did her best to care for them, and she loved them, even though they were a stranger. We should all aspire to that level of compassion.

[phinhnanthasone]

The old lady was happily tending to the little one. Her ending was tragic.

[ashmaxima]

The fact that she hung around a cemetery daily, had schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations, and the level of desiccation makes me wonder if she unearthed the grave of a Harlequin Fetus OR if her daughter-in-law’s testimony is to be believed someone abandoned a Harlequin Fetus at the cemetery to die and she found it alive. I mean it thrived on milk like an infant and didn’t last long (consistent with Harlequins). This was a remote area with minimal resources and medical facilities so a homebirth of a Harlequin Fetus would be quite traumatizing and the family would probably think it was some kind of monster and leave it to die at the cemetery.

WARNING: Do not look up images of Harlequin Fetuses if you are sensitive. They do however fit the description given by the daughter in law.

[Levi_]

Reminds me of the Atacama skeleton from Chile. People thought she was an alien, too, because she was only six inches long and severely deformed. In 2018, a genetic analysis of her bones proved that theory false by establishing the skeleton was a premature human fetus and she was a female of South American descent. An exact age couldn’t be pinned down, but the researchers said their study showed the mummy was 500 years old or less. It also revealed that her DNA contained seven genes associated with bone and facial malformation, premature joint fusion, and dwarfism. The mutations linked to dwarfism and a rare bone aging disorder likely explained the skeleton’s unusual appearance.

[carrotslat]

You’re the man shrouded hand, please consider a part two to your “serial killers that probably don’t exist” vid since it’s how I found your channel and it’s amazing

[SakuraAsranArt]

Alyoshenka is almost certainly a deformed, premature fetus. Her overly large skull could be the result of hydrocephalus or fluid in the brain. My sister suffers from the same condition.

[Remnants_]

It does look like a somewhat mummified premature human baby. It’s hard to believe they would have lived very long without a lot of medical intervention though, if they were even born alive. My guess would be that they were found already deceased, & the lady who found her didn’t realise they were deceased due to her mental illness.

[CatherineInRock]

Just a note, Alyoshenka is a boy's name (with the stress on the O - yes, completely counter-intuitive to an English speaker), an endearment diminutive of Alexey, a common Russian name.

[eddietheheaduwu]

This story always made me so sad for some reason, maybe it's the way the way they treated Tamara even though she was trying her best to keep this little thing alive, maybe the way Alyoshenka's remains were lost multiple times. Both deserved better. I hope the great cosmos made their spirits meet again somewhere

[onufoms]

The description given by the daughter sounds like harlequin icthyosis (don't look that up if you don't know what you're getting yourself into). The red, tubelike mouth, the grey skin, the lack of eyelids all kind of match up. I don't know about the long fingers and they don't have glowing eyes but I can imagine that seeing a baby like that without context to know what's going on could lead to some shock and certain details becoming exaggerated.

[michael-dyhf]

the most logical explanation (in my opinion) for this incident comes from a youtuber who made a video about this topic a few years back - his username is NFKRZ, and he was born and raised in the city of chelyabinsk, which is in the general vicinity of kyshtym. his theory is that after the kyshtym mayak disaster, someone in the villages surrounding the plutonium processing facility got severe radiation exposure, and several years later, got pregnant and gave birth to a premature fetus with severe radiation-induced deformities. if you search his username along with "alyoshenka", you should get the full video with his theory about the babushka's mental health issues and the daughter-in-law seeing the alyoshenka supposedly being "alive" at one point as well.

[Necrotheos]

I think the baby had harlequin syndrome or something similarly traumatic and the head shape was simply the fissured skin giving it that appearance (plus, baby skulls have separate plates). Or just a basic bone deformity. She was small like a premature baby and likely dead when they found her. the sister could just have imagine the baby moving or even bugs may have been crawling inside. Having someone tell you it's alive and suckling can easily convince you that it is, either way this women caring for what people called an alien or creature is truly a sweet sediment.

[shawnnixon]

Shout out to Tamara for saving that poor babys life without question or judgement. She should be honored and a household name. Smh Instead shes known for her mental illness and labled illnesses with zero diagnosis. Smfh Im so sick of humans and their GD judgemental pos selves, its all they do!! I hope there is something better after this life and if there is, Im sure Tamara is there and she is living it up with her baby.

[JamesPerSecond]

I've always been fascinated by this case. I think it's really interesting in so many ways, I do believe it's a deformed foetus (due to radiation or genetics or both) and not an alien, but the fact Tamara decided to care for it is really sweet. And the way the neighbours shipped her off to an asylum is crazy, why couldn't they just leave her alone?

[MalcolmCooks]

Alyoshenka bears a very striking resemblance to a mummified skeleton found in the Atacama desert (search for Atakama skeleton). This was in fact DNA tested by researches and was found to be a human fetus with an unprecedented number of genetic mutations affecting bone growth... the area was former nitrate mine, so heavy industrial pollution could explain the mutations. It would be reasonable to suppose that Alyoshenka had a very similar set of mutations. However, I'm still not sure I entirely believe either story is real since they are so bizzare!

[blackswan]

Sounds like she found a baby left to die because the parents thought it had no chance.

[МаксимЛукашин-йц]

Yay, a story from Russia! Hey Shrouded, your fan from Russia here! I've heard about this case on russian TV several times, glad you covered that. I hope you will cover some other mysterious cases from Russia like this one - a lot of incomprehensible stuff happens here all the time lmao. But every video from you is always great so keep doing this, please. Love your channel!

[hildisvini_art]

Since the remains were very much looking old and mummified soon after Tamara was sent to the asylum - prehaps this premature and/or deformed baby WAS Tamara's from very many years ago. She buried the child in the cemetary, hence her attachment to the place in old age. Due to her declining mental health she exhumed them, beileving the baby was alive. I cant imagine how painful it was for the mother, whoever it was, to lose thier baby simply because they couldn't access the healthcare to save them. Poor Tamara may she rest in peace 🦋