Remains could be Tsar's son and daughter

MOSCOW, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Fragments of skeletal remains of the family of Russia's last tsar have been brought to Yekaterinburg to compare with new remains found last month.

Based on recently declassified documents, archaeologists located skeletal remains believed to belong to the Tsar Nicholas II's only son, Alexei, and daughter, Maria, RIA Novosti reported Monday.

Forensic experts will compare them to remains of the Romanov family uncovered in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The tsar, his wife, their four daughters and son, along with several servants, were shot to death by the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Russian forensic expert Nikolai Nevolin says the newly discovered remains include 44 bone fragments, teeth fragments, as well as strips of fabric and bullets.

He told a news conference genetic analysis would reveal whether the bone fragments belonged to Crown Prince Alexei, who suffered from a hereditary blood disorder.

As a result of the discovery, Russian prosecutors have reopened a 1993 investigation into the execution of the Romanov family.