"He walked and talked - and then was found dead": The new testimony that deepens the mystery of Eldar Dayan
A staff member at the gas station where Dayan was seen shortly before he disappeared tells Walla that the 22-year-old arrived at the scene walking on his own feet and did not appear injured in a way that could explain his death: "He never came out of there alive." In the background, the seven suspects were released to house arrest - and the cause of death has not yet been determined.
After weeks of investigation, seven detainees, and a long series of remand extensions, the case of Eldar Dayan's death remains without the most basic answer: how the 22-year-old young man died. This morning (Thursday), new testimony is added to the question marks surrounding the death of Dayan, whose body was found in the open area adjacent to the station.
A staff member at the gas station where Eldar Dayan was seen shortly before his tracks disappeared tells Walla that the 22-year-old arrived at the place walking, talking, and standing on his own feet - and did not appear injured in a way that could explain his death shortly thereafter.
"He didn't look like he had injuries to the level where you say to yourself that in a moment he is going to collapse," he said. "We see him here alive, walking and talking, then he goes with his friends towards the area behind the station, a place that has no cameras, and from there he never comes out alive."
According to the staff member, it is difficult for him to reconcile what he saw that day with the fact that even after weeks of investigation, there is still no answer regarding the circumstances of Dayan's death. "It's just inconceivable. They released the suspects and there is still no answer as to how he died. We don't know what happened there and we weren't in the field, but as someone who saw him a moment earlier, it's hard to understand how a person who walked in here on his feet just goes to the bushes, collapses, and dies."
During the investigation, the question of the condition of the body also arose, as well as the possibility that damage by wild animals after death made the examinations difficult. The staff member finds it hard to accept that this possibility provides an answer to the question marks. "Let's assume that animals damaged the body after he was already dead. Still, someone needs to explain what happened before that," he said. "How did he get to a state where he couldn't get out of there? He was here, walked, talked. Something had to happen in that area."
The fact that the area behind the station is not filmed also bothers him. "It's a place that has no cameras. It's hard to ignore this coincidence. He goes there with his friends and doesn't come out alive. The family deserves to know what happened there."
"At first we thought it was a serious accident"
The staff member also remembers well how the story began for him, even before anyone at the station knew it was a case that would turn into a death investigation.
"We saw them arrive and leave a vehicle here with shattered windows. At first, we thought there was a serious accident or something tragic on the road," he said. "The vehicle stayed here for a few days, and then police officers started arriving and we understood it was related to Eldar. We followed the reports and were in shock."
Later, the station became one of the central points in the investigation. Patrol cars arrived again and again, police officers passed through the place, and searches were conducted in the adjacent open area. But for the staff member, the most difficult sight was actually that of the Dayan family.
"For two and a half weeks there was no quiet here," he said. "His mother would arrive again and again, making rounds in the area, crying and looking for him. Every day you see a mother trying to find her son. In the end, it turns out he was found dead right here behind. It breaks your heart for the family."
Seven were arrested - and all were released to house arrest
Dayan's body was found on August 6 in the open area, a short distance from the gas station. Throughout the investigation, the question arose again and again as to how he was not located earlier, after police forces and dog units conducted several searches in the area. The police explained in court that the condition of the body at the time of its discovery might explain why it was not located in previous searches.
At the same time, the investigation was conducted in two directions. Initially, the suspicion focused on Maxim Barverman and Omri Peretz, two of Dayan's friends and the last ones who, according to the police, were seen with him. The two were suspected of premeditated murder.
Later, five young men who were involved in a fight with Dayan and his friends were re-arrested, and the police checked whether the injuries he sustained in that confrontation were related to his death.
However, even after weeks of investigation, it was not determined who caused Dayan's death - and not even if his death could be unequivocally linked to a criminal act. The opinion from the Institute of Forensic Medicine did not provide a final determination regarding the cause of death, and all seven suspects were released to house arrest.
For the staff member at the station, the images from that day continue to haunt him. Dayan was seen entering the place on his feet, talking and behaving, and shortly thereafter his tracks disappeared.
"The hardest thing is to think that maybe this family will remain without an answer," he said. "He was here before our eyes, and in the end, he was found dead a few meters behind. It's hard to digest this."
