Mystery Solved: Mali and Liel Found in Argentina, Released After Questioning

Mali and Liel located (Photo: Israel Police Spokesperson's Unit)

A week after contact was lost with Mali Yahalomi, 50, and her daughter Liel, 23, residents of Modi'in who had left for a vacation in Europe, Israel Police announced overnight, between Friday and Shabbat, that the two had been found in Argentina. 

They were located immediately after landing in Argentina. An Israel Police representative in South America boarded the bus the two were on and approached them. In a conversation, he was heard saying: "Hi Mali, hi Liel, I'm Walter, the police representative in South America from the Intelligence Division. I want to ask you a few questions. We were very worried about you, okay? I'll let everyone get off, and we'll talk a little, okay?" After questioning, and after no suspicion arose of a criminal offense that would justify their arrest, the two were released and continued on their way.

Findings from the investigation conducted overnight after they were located indicated that their disappearance was not spontaneous. According to the findings, Mali and Liel had planned the move for about a month, apparently as early as July. As part of their preparations, they took steps to cover their tracks, obtained additional phones with unrecognized numbers, and even deleted apps from their devices that enable digital tracking and location services.

Messages between the daughter and her mother also showed that the two had discussed the escape plan in advance. In one message, the daughter expressed her agreement to join the plan, writing to her mother: "I will go with you anywhere." The exchange reinforced the assessment that the daughter knew in advance about her mother's plan to flee and chose to join her of her own free will.

At this stage, it is still unclear what motive led the mother and daughter to plan the move and completely cut off contact with the rest of the family. The two traveled along a complex route. Their last cellular signal was recorded at a train station in Vienna, and later reports indicated that they had crossed into Germany. Checks of aviation systems ultimately showed that their names appeared on the passenger lists for a "Lufthansa" flight bound for Argentina.

The search efforts were conducted under the direct direction of Israel Police Commissioner Danny Levy and led by investigators from the Economic Crime Unit at Lahav 433, in cooperation with the Intelligence Division. For the operation, command centers were established and operated around the clock in Israel and at several locations abroad, with technological tools and resources allocated to trace the two women's route.

Europol, foreign law-enforcement and security organizations, and international aviation and border authorities joined the effort. During the days of the search, hundreds of targeted investigative actions, technological location checks, and cross-referenced information searches were conducted, ultimately leading to their precise location in Argentina.

In a police statement, Israel Police said: "Israel Police, in cooperation with all security bodies and relevant parties in Israel and abroad, has operated in recent days in a broad and focused effort. After extensive efforts and the joint work of all parties, including Europol and other police organizations abroad, the missing women were located. Israel Police thanks all the parties in Israel and abroad for their cooperation and assistance in the efforts to locate them."

Now that the search has ended and the two have been found safe, the investigation is focused primarily on the circumstances that led to the advance planning, the efforts to cover their tracks, and the cutoff of contact with family members. At this stage, the full picture and the motive behind the move remain unknown.