What happened to Dusya Merzlyakova, whom her own mother kept on a chain

In 2000, the terrible story of Dusi Merzlyakova, a disabled person without hands and feet, appeared in the press. She was kept on the street for many years, on a chain, by her own mother. In the yard, chained to a post, she even gave birth to a child. Fortunately, this story has a relatively good ending — Dusya was taken care of and did not let her die.

Siberian Dusya spent her childhood and youth on the taiga zaimka, far from civilization. The girl did not know what school was, but she was well-versed in the forest and knew all the tricks of survival in the wild. Stepfather, Guryan Burnyshev, an experienced hunter, taught his stepdaughter all these tricks.

However, this did not save Merzlyakova from misfortune. At the age of 15, she went to the forest to check the snares placed on the beast. It was in November, which is considered a full-fledged winter month in Siberia. On the way back, Dusya got into a blizzard and lost her way. In the 30-degree frost, she arranged a shelter in the snow and waited patiently for three days until she was found.

The girl was found, but she had frostbite on her hands and feet. Perhaps the limbs could have been saved, but Dusi's mother did not even think to seek medical help. Merzlyakov was taken to the hospital by hunters who happened to be on the zaimka. Time was lost, gangrene began and Doucet's feet and hands were amputated.

During the treatment, Dusya first encountered the benefits of civilization. In the hospital of the district center, the girl saw a TV and children's toys for the first time in her life. The treatment lasted two months and when Merzlyakova was discharged, she asked to be left in the hospital. But the disabled girl was sent home, thereby determining her tragic fate for many years.

Dusi's mother, Polina Merzlyakova, was not happy about her daughter's return. She had been indifferent to her before, but now she understood perfectly well that the invalid would be a burden to her. Polina almost did not approach the girl, ignoring her existence. All the worries about Dusya fell on the shoulders of his stepfather, Guryan Burnyshev. He took care of all the troubles associated with taking care of Dusya and helped her adapt to life after the tragedy.

But after a while, the only person who was not indifferent to Dusya died. Guryan was killed by Dusi's older brother Yevsey. He was tried and sent to a colony for 4.5 years. Merzlyakova was left defenseless in front of her mother, who believed that she did not need to live. Polina kicked her disabled daughter out of the house, hoping that she would not survive on the street.

The girl began to live in the yard, eating scraps that her mother threw away. Sometimes she went to the forest and picked mushrooms and berries there. When no one was at home, Dusya would sneak into the pantry and eat as much as she could. This infuriated the mother, and one day, after discovering the loss of food, she put her daughter on a chain.

From that moment on, Dusya lived chained to a post and spent the night in a booth like a dog. Polina Merzlyakova received her daughter's pension and spent it at her discretion. Dusya continued to eat scraps, roots and insect larvae. The girl's situation worsened when her mother brought a new husband into the house. He shamelessly took advantage of the helplessness of a disabled person, raping her.

As a result, Dusya became pregnant and gave birth to a son, whom she named Ivan. This event did not change the attitude of her mother and her roommate too much. A young woman with a baby was sometimes allowed to warm up in the house, but most of the time they spent in the yard.

When the boy grew up and began to run into the house without permission, Polina chained him up. Later it turned out that many people knew that Polina Merzlyakova had two people chained in her yard. But for a long time no one cared — neighbors and casual guests thought it was none of their business.

The pensioner Anastasia Gorcheneva was the first to take care of the fate of Dusi and Ivan. She found out Dusi's story when she was in the hospital. The kind woman took her home after discharge, and a little later persuaded Polina to give her and Ivan. A woman who lived on a chain for many years, according to her, "got to heaven." For the first time in many years, she and her son slept on beds and ate not from the ground, but from plates.

Polina Merzlyakova was glad that she got rid of her daughter and grandson. During all this time, she visited them only once when it was necessary to renew her pension. She demanded that Gorcheneva return Dusya to her for a while, but she refused. But the well-fed life did not last long. For some reason, the pensioner stopped taking care of Dusya and took her and her son to a nursing home.

Merzlyakova is still in this institution. Her son Ivan has long grown up and got a family. Now he lives and works in Novosibirsk. Sometimes he comes to the nursing home to visit his mother. Polina Merzlyakova never answered before the law for her crimes — she died under unknown circumstances. Nothing is known about the fate of her rapist roommate, Ivan's father.

Unfortunately, Dusi's case cannot be called unique. Periodically it becomes known about Mowgli children from dysfunctional families living in terrible conditions.