Police confirmed Thursday evening that a body found earlier in the day during searches for missing Dimona resident Eldar Dayan belonged to the 23-year-old.
Dayan’s family was notified after forensic experts completed the identification process. Earlier Thursday, the family said it had learned from media reports that a body had been found before receiving any official update from police.
Eldar Dayan
(Photo: Yariv Katz)
Dayan had been classified as missing after his family reported his disappearance about two weeks ago.
The National Center of Forensic Medicine said the identification process included a comprehensive examination by a forensic pathologist and forensic anthropologist, an external examination, DNA sampling and a CT scan to assess the condition of the remains.
Scientific identification was carried out by a DNA specialist at the center’s biological laboratory, who produced a DNA profile from the remains.
“This is a complex process requiring the assistance of advanced technologies whose development was accelerated following October 7, after similar identification procedures were conducted in the National Center’s laboratories,” the institute said.
“The investigation into the circumstances and cause of the deceased’s death is continuing by the center’s professional teams.”
Earlier Thursday, the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court extended the detention of Dayan’s friends, Omri Peretz and Maxim Barberman, for seven days.
Police now suspect the two of murder.
During the remand hearing, the judge ordered the proceedings to continue behind closed doors at the request of police and the suspects’ defense attorneys.
Dayan’s body was found Thursday morning in an open area near Highway 40, about 200 meters from a gas station where an abandoned vehicle with a shattered window was discovered last month.
The vehicle belongs to the mother of one of the suspects in the case.
The body, which was in an advanced state of decomposition, was discovered in the Petah Tikva area during extensive police searches for Dayan.
His family had earlier sharply criticized the police handling of the investigation.
“Unfortunately, the police did not handle this case properly,” the family said. “They told the family searches were being conducted, and since 5 a.m. Eldar’s mother had been waiting for someone to tell her where to go. No one informed her that a body had been found.”
“The police conduct in this investigation is shameful, to put it mildly,” the family added.
Attorney Sapir Pardo, who represents the family, also accused police of treating Dayan’s parents with insensitivity.
“With the audacity, lack of humanity and complete disregard for the family that have characterized this process since Eldar disappeared, Israel Police chose not even to inform the parents about the body that was found,” she said.
Pardo said Dayan’s mother had repeatedly searched the area near the gas station and insisted that her son might be there, although his condition was unknown.
Dayan disappeared after going out with friends on July 16. Several hours later, he spoke and exchanged messages with his sister and girlfriend, telling them there was some kind of “trouble.”
He was not heard from again, and his phone remained unavailable.
Early last week, police found the abandoned vehicle in Petah Tikva. Bloodstains were discovered inside, and investigators initially examined whether the car had been involved in a hit-and-run incident.
Peretz and Barberman were arrested during the investigation. Each reportedly gave a different account of the events surrounding Dayan’s disappearance.
One said they had been assaulted, apparently by strangers, while the other denied that claim.
At an earlier remand hearing, police said the suspects were believed to have been involved in running over a group of young people during a brawl, obstructing the investigation and making death threats against Dayan.
Both suspects have exercised their right to remain silent during questioning.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of Dayan’s death and the alleged involvement of the two suspects.