There is “no indication of a criminal offense” in the disappearance of Mali Yahalomi, 50, and her daughter Liel, 23, who have been missing in the Austrian capital since Friday, the widely circulated Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung reported Wednesday evening, citing Vienna police. The statement means Vienna police believe that, at this stage, there are no signs that a crime is being or has been committed in the case.
In addition, Vienna police spokesman Markus Dittrich told the Austrian newspaper that “an internal investigation, inquiries with hospitals and the like have been opened in cooperation with the Israeli diplomatic mission in Austria.” He did not say what direction the investigation is focused on.
Earlier, it was reported that cellphone location tracking carried out by police in Israel and Austria indicates that the two women, who are Sabbath-observant, were last seen during Shabbat near the city train station, an open area that includes, among other things, a municipal park. The family says it did not receive an update from police about the location tracking.
Mali and Liel Yahalomi were last seen on Shabbat near the city's train station
Family members went Sunday to the Modi’in police station, where they filed a missing persons report and provided the information they had. The station forwarded the report to the police’s international division in the investigations branch, which activated police officials in Austria. Family members also said Mali and Liel had contacted them Friday before Shabbat began, but did not respond to messages after Shabbat ended.
Mali’s brother, Moshe, said Wednesday morning that “the situation is obviously not very good. On Friday, we spoke with them for the last time, and they were perfectly fine. They said they were in an apartment in Vienna and that everything was OK. They did not share their plans with us.”
The two women had also ordered a meal from the Chabad House in Vienna, but did not come to pick it up. According to Moshe, “Right now there is nothing new from the investigation. We are in contact with the consulate in Vienna and in Prague and with the Modi’in District Police, and they will update us if there is anything new.”
“The whole world is on its feet trying to locate them,” an Israeli official said. “Various officials are involved. They cannot be found anywhere. It does not smell good, but we hope they will be found safe and sound.”