Police asked a court Thursday to extend the detention of two friends of missing Dimona resident Eldar Dayan for 15 days, saying they are now suspected of murder.
The request was filed hours after a body in an advanced state of decomposition was found near the Yarkon Interchange in the Petah Tikva area during searches for Dayan, who has been missing for about three weeks.
The remains have not yet been identified, and police have not officially indicated that they belong to Dayan.
The suspects, Omri Peretz and Maxim Barberman, appeared at the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court for a remand hearing. At the request of both police and their defense attorneys, the judge ordered the proceedings to continue behind closed doors.
The body was found in a field about 200 meters from a gas station near the location where an abandoned vehicle with a shattered window was discovered last month. The vehicle belongs to the mother of one of the suspects and is believed to have been used by Dayan on the day he disappeared.
The body was transferred to the National Center of Forensic Medicine for identification and an examination of the cause and circumstances of death.
Dayan’s family said they learned about the discovery through media reports rather than from police. His mother later arrived at the scene and cried out to officers to take her to her son.
For now, any connection between the body and Dayan remains a suspicion only.
Eldar Dayan’s mother at the scene where the body was found
Police said the investigation into Dayan’s disappearance was transferred Wednesday to the Central District’s Sharon Major Crimes Unit. Extensive searches began Thursday morning under the unit’s command, with the participation of Petah Tikva police officers, Border Police troops and volunteers.
Dayan’s family sharply criticized the police handling of the case.
“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 has been waiting for someone to tell her where to go. No one informed her that a body had been found.”
“We very much hope it is not Eldar and that he is still on the run, even though he has no reason to flee,” they added. “The police conduct in this investigation is shameful, to put it mildly.”
Dayan, 23, 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 has not been heard from since, and his phone has remained unavailable.
Early last week, police found the abandoned vehicle in Petah Tikva with a shattered window. Bloodstains were also discovered inside. Investigators initially said they were examining whether the vehicle had been involved in a hit-and-run incident.
Peretz and Barberman were arrested as part of the investigation. During questioning, each gave a different account of what happened. One said they had been assaulted, apparently by strangers, while the other denied that claim.
Police have said all investigative directions remain open.
“This is not a routine missing-person case,” a police source said earlier in the investigation. “We are examining hit-and-run scenarios and checking whether people were hospitalized in central Israel or Tel Aviv. Everything is on the table.”
At a previous remand hearing Tuesday, police said the two 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.
A police representative said one person suffered a leg injury during the alleged collision. Both suspects have exercised their right to remain silent during questioning.
Judge Zohar Givon ruled at the earlier hearing that there was reasonable suspicion that the alleged offenses had been committed.
“Their conduct after the incident raises many questions regarding the missing man, but not only regarding him,” she said.