Deputy head of Bertelsmann publishing house in Russia stabbed

The deputy head of Bertelsmann AG's Russian publishing house was stabbed to death at her summer house near Moscow.

Marina Pisareva, 47, was found dead on Sunday morning at her house in the Odintsova district, Moscow region prosecutors said in a statement posted on their Web site. The suspected murder weapon was a rare dagger that belonged to Pisareva, which was recovered, they said.

The killing could have been connected to Pisareva's professional activities, prosecutors said, noting that nothing appeared to have been stolen from the house.

A spokesman for Bertelsmann in Germany confirmed that Pisareva had been killed, but declined to provide further details. The spokesman, who asked not to be named as the company was preparing a statement for later in the day, said the media group was still "trying to get a feeling for the situation."

The businesses of Bertelsmann, which is based in Guetersloh, Germany, include book publisher Random House; music business BMG - comprised of its 50 percent holding in the Sony BMG Music Entertainment joint venture; and radio and television, including broadcaster RTL, magazines and media services.

RTL holds a 30-percent stake in REN-TV, an entertainment-oriented national channel that has come under the control of Kremlin-friendly businesses in the past two years.