	The investigation took a very long time, as nobody suspected Taran of committing these crimes. Eventually, evidence was discovered by chance. In 2008, one of the villagers from Alexandrovskoye found an AK-47 assault rifle with a homemade silencer wrapped in a bathrobe in the forest. During a walk around the repair shops, one of the local locksmiths identified the silencer and said that it was ordered by Taran, who needed it for a nozzle for a gas burner. Soon after, he was arrested. During a search of his house, a gas pistol was located. Hair belonging to Taran was also found on a machine gun hidden in the forest. A friend of Taran's gave the authorities the second rifle, which he had been storing for Taran. The subsequent examination determined that the 3 murders and 2 attempted murders were committed with these weapons. Initially, Taran confessed to the murders, but refused to cooperate further. 