The man who murdered his five-year-old stepdaughter by drowning her in a bathtub and then burying her body under a pile of pig manure when her mother was out of the country has been jailed for life.

Alexandr Pilipenko, 45, who was looking after his stepdaughter while her mother was out of the country doing work in China, was convicted of killing Daria Pilipenko, 5, by the Crimean Supreme Court.

The shocking event took place in the village of Kropotkino in the Rozdolne Raion region of the Republic of Crimea on 12th November 2019.

The Attorney General’s Office believes that Pilipenko beat his stepdaughter first, hitting her in the head and legs before drowning her in a bathtub.

After drowning the young girl, he took her body outside and in an attempt to cover his tracks buried the little girl in a heap of pig manure.

Pilipenko then called local authorities claiming his stepdaughter had gone missing while he and his youngest son were out of the house.

A search operation was launched involving volunteers, drones and dozens of local cops.

They located the little girl’s body three days later on 15th November after the suspect had confessed and told them where to look.

Cops confirmed that Daria had been buried under a heap of manure next to an old dried up canal.

The young girl’s mother, Ekaterina Pilipenko, 23, explained in an interview on the show ‘Let Them Talk’ that she was in Beijing, China, making money so that she could hire a lawyer and divorce Pilipenko when the murder happened.

She had left Daria and her son, who was not named, in the care of their stepfather with whom she claims to have had a very “difficult” three-year relationship.

When she was informed about her daughter going missing she said: “I was in shock and began the process of crossing the borders just to get back to her. My nose bled and I even passed out.”

She added: “I feel like it’s my fault that she died, I never got a chance to hold my little girl again.”

Alexandr Pilipenko is expected to serve his life sentence in a corrective labour colony a type of Russian prison which combines detention with compulsory work.