On April 5, 2022, Igor Postolache, a 32-year-old Moldovan living in Oviedo, became the center of a brutal case. That day, he concealed himself, abducted, raped, and killed Erika Yungais, his 14-year-old neighbor, when she returned from school. He was arrested at his home and sent to prison. Erika would not testify. Since then, apart from his lawyer, a single mother from Oviedo visited him in Mansilla de las Mulas prison (León), where he awaited trial and sentencing. Prison sources confirmed to Prensa Ibérica’s investigation and CASO ABIERTO reported the ongoing visits, sometimes more than once a week.
During Tuesday morning, August 8, authorities informed Postolache that he would be transferred to Teixeiro prison in A Coruña. After dinner that afternoon, he was moved to a cell alone in the admissions module. That night, he hanged himself with a cord tied to a crosspost in the cell. The body was discovered the next morning.
Zero problems, zero relationships
Leonese prison sources told OPEN CASE that Postolache did not leave a suicide note. He was described as a quiet prisoner who had shown no behavioral issues since arriving in the facility, had no known ties with other inmates or staff, and kept to himself. The profile notes frequent visits from his mother, sometimes multiple times weekly, a detail highlighted by the sources.
The mother, who stayed by her son’s side despite the gravity of the crime, even sent a letter to the newspaper La Nueva España through Prensa Ibérica, apologizing to Erika’s family for her son’s death. In the letter, he is described as having lived in Asturias for 15 years and earning a living by cleaning houses. “Our family and I deeply regret the events we could never have imagined and that will stay with us forever,” the letter states. It expresses confidence that justice will address the crime and that Erika’s family will find the healing they need. The mother underscores that the pain she has endured is immeasurable, hoping Erika’s relatives might one day find forgiveness.
Since then, the mother has been the only constant support, making the 140-kilometer journey from Oviedo to Mansilla de las Mulas to visit him in prison on a regular basis.
Trigger
Sources describe the transfer to a prison farther from Oviedo as a possible trigger for the suicide. Close observers noted the transfer was difficult to understand and suggested it could have worsened depression for Postolache and increased the strain on his mother. Teixeiro prison, located in A Coruña, is about 249 kilometers from Oviedo, a much longer distance than the Leon facility, making frequent visits more challenging.
Postolache entered the Leon cell calmly, spending his final night there. He was not searched. He bid farewell to two officials with a courteous “good night.” Alone in his cell, he suspended himself using a rope from a post on the railing. The action was carried out before the morning check.
Penal Institutions opened an inquiry into the suicide. Preliminary findings indicate Postolache, no longer under anti-suicide measures, entered the Leon cell freely and calmly, with no search or restraint. He had spoken softly and appeared at ease as he said good night to the two staff members. The decision to transfer was described as an organizational issue rather than a disciplinary action.
Confession in February
Last February, for the first time since his arrest, Postolache admitted planning the attack on his neighbor Erika. He accepted a punishment that included life imprisonment with the possibility of review for murder, plus additional years for sexual assault. He described details of the crime, claiming that the interior of his home had been sealed off to prevent outsiders from seeing what happened. The testimony describes how Erika encountered him near the doorway and how the assault unfolded, followed by a fatal sequence of events in the bathroom and bedroom as he attempted to satisfy a violent impulse.
During the confession, it is said that Erika endured multiple injuries before the attacker finished the assault, leaving the victim in a dire state. The account indicates that the perpetrator continued the attack even as the victim fought to defend herself.
Following this confession, Postolache remained isolated in the Leon prison as the judicial process moved forward toward a popular jury trial. It was stated that he would receive treatment for sex offender conditions after conviction.
Erika’s case marked an escalation in a sequence of troubling incidents reported between 2018 and 2019. Involvement with multiple girls, some underage, was alleged, with several victims speaking to reporters about the alleged harassment. Additional aspects of the case emerged through ongoing investigative reporting by Prensa Ibérica’s CASO ABIERTO.
Popular jury
After the February confession, Postolache continued to spend his days in isolation at the Leon prison while the legal process moved forward toward a public jury trial and potential treatment for sex offender offenses. Erika’s case was described as the culmination of a troubling pattern that spanned years, with further details emerging in police files and investigative reports.