"I will go with you anywhere": The correspondence between Meli and Liel discovered in the investigation

The police continue to investigate the disappearance of Meli Yaalomi and her daughter Liel, and during the investigation today, Saturday, a correspondence was located between the daughter and her mother regarding the future escape plan. The daughter wrote to her mother that she accepts the offer, and added: "I will go with you anywhere." From this, the understanding was strengthened that the daughter knew of the mother's escape plan and joined it voluntarily.

A police source told N12: Meli and Liel had debts. Two units with different and complementary capabilities worked on the investigation. Two command centers were established: one in the Vienna area and the other in Israel - at Lahav 433. Lahav went into action under the guidance of the Police Commissioner, with hundreds of investigators and intelligence personnel involved in the search efforts. Already at an early stage of the investigation, it became clear that this was apparently a well-planned disappearance. The mother and daughter deleted apps and performed actions on their phones intended to make them difficult to locate. They also used Gemini and asked questions that may be related to route planning. According to the assessment, the mother had traveled abroad several times before, in order to study the area and prepare. The police believe that someone may have even instructed them along the way.

Meli just wanted to disappear from the world. The police checked the family and economic background of the two, and no indications of domestic violence or threats against them were found. These are a normative mother and daughter who worked and received a salary. The mother worked at Bank Jerusalem, a fact that at some point aroused initial suspicion among investigators as to whether this was an incident with a serious criminal or economic background - in the style of the Eti Alon affair. This suspicion did not strengthen. However, it turned out that the mother withdrew at least 50,000 shekels of her money. From the investigators' point of view, such an unusual cash withdrawal strengthened the assessment that she was planning a prolonged disappearance. No huge debts were found for Meli or Liel, but apparently a certain, more limited economic problem.

The grandmother's involvement was also checked. According to the suspicion, the mother took money from her, so the possibility is being examined that the grandmother knew about her intention and perhaps even helped her. There is no significant connection between the mother and her ex-husband, the father of the children. The police asked not to confront the family members before the picture became clear, and shared some of the existing information so as not to harm the investigation.

From Vienna to Argentina - the escape route

Regarding the escape route, the two passed through Vienna apparently because there is a central train junction in Europe there, which allows one to split off to different destinations without being noticed. They left behind signs intended to create the impression that they were still in the city, through apps they downloaded specifically. Already at the stage when the local police published a notice about their disappearance, the Israeli investigators knew they were not in Vienna. From the Austrian capital, they continued to Frankfurt, and sent false documentation to the family that was supposedly filmed in Vienna - but it was actually filmed from the Frankfurt area, in order to hide the plan. From there they continued to Argentina.

Walter's mission - and the conversation on the bus

After information was received that Meli and Liel were on their way to Argentina, an Israeli representative who was in Mexico, Walter, was scrambled and arrived within hours - almost simultaneously with their landing. It turned out that the two boarded a bus, and that they were planning to move within less than 20 hours from Argentina to another destination that is prohibited for publication. The reason: in this destination, it is possible to obtain fake passports easily and that was the plan. This destination also has no extradition agreement with Israel. The investigators estimate that Meli and Liel wanted to start a new chapter in life, obtain fake documents and disappear almost completely, change names and go under the radar. At this stage, it was still not clear if the family had any connections that could have helped the mother and her daughter with the plan.

Walter, an Israel Police representative, located the bus, while local representatives from the police in Argentina waited beside it. The mother and daughter were taken off the bus for a short questioning, during which the two said that they left for personal reasons that they do not wish to detail, and that they decided to move away and not share their plan. The police emphasize that the location was done using the police only, without turning to the Mossad or the Shin Bet.