Israeli police are investigating whether a 23-year-old man reported missing from southern Israel is in fact hiding after becoming involved in a suspected hit-and-run crash.
The new theory marks a significant development in the disappearance of Eldar Dayan, a resident of Dimona who has not contacted his family since mid-July.
At the same time, the Be'er Sheva Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday extended the detention of Dayan’s friend Maxim Braverman until Sunday. Braverman, whose name was released for publication for the first time, was arrested a day earlier alongside another Dimona resident.
The second suspect was expected to appear later Tuesday at a hearing on whether his detention should also be extended.
Police had requested that Braverman remain in custody for 10 days and said he was suspected of conspiracy to commit a crime and obstruction of justice.
Investigators suspect Braverman was driving a vehicle involved in the hit-and-run and say they have testimony linking him to the driver’s seat. Police also suspect Dayan was involved in the incident, although his precise role remains unclear.
The court said Braverman’s initial account had already raised difficulties.
“It can already be said that the suspect’s version, as given during his initial interrogation, was contradicted in a certain respect,” the ruling said.
The court stressed, however, that the investigation was still in its early stages and that police had numerous investigative steps remaining.
New timeline emerges
Police said the report of Dayan’s disappearance was received on July 25.
According to the latest police statement, Dayan and the two suspects were seen together in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva during the afternoon of July 18.
The two men were questioned Monday. During their interrogations, police said suspicions emerged that they had obstructed the investigation and conspired to commit a crime, leading to their arrests.
The new details revise the timeline previously released by authorities and Dayan’s family.
Eldar's car, found in central Israel
(Photo: Israel Police)
An initial police search notice and statements from relatives said Dayan was last seen near Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park on July 17. His family said the missing-person report was filed on Friday, July 24, while police now say it was received the following day.
At 5 p.m. on July 18, the same day police say Dayan was seen with the suspects in Petah Tikva, authorities received a report of an abandoned vehicle near a gas station in the city.
Witnesses said several people got out of the vehicle, removed its license plate and fled.
Officers who arrived at the scene found a shattered window and bloodstains inside the car.
Investigators later determined that the vehicle belonged to the mother of one of the two suspects and that Dayan had apparently been inside it before contact with him was lost.
The vehicle’s owner told police that her son had not been home for several days. After police managed to contact him, he said he was on his way back to Dimona and would report to the local police station, but he never arrived.
Conflicting stories
Even before the arrests, police had identified contradictions in the accounts given by Dayan’s friends.
One friend said the group had been involved in a fight and had apparently been assaulted by strangers. Another denied that any such confrontation had taken place.
Dayan’s mother said the version given by the friend who had left Dimona with him changed several times.
Shortly before disappearing, Dayan sent his partner a WhatsApp message saying: “Listen, baby, there’s trouble. I’m heading back to the city soon. We’ll talk when I arrive.”
He then spoke with his sister and also referred to the same “trouble.”
He has not contacted his family since, and his phone remains unavailable.
Despite the possibility that Dayan is hiding because of his alleged involvement in the crash, police continue to classify him as a missing person and are working to locate him.
Investigators are simultaneously examining the suspected hit-and-run, identifying everyone involved and determining whether steps were taken afterward to conceal evidence or obstruct the investigation.