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🇮🇱 Israel /Crime & Justice

Concern grows in Israel as mother, daughter mysteriously vanish in Vienna

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Concern is growing for the safety of an Israeli mother and daughter who have been missing in Vienna since Friday.
  • The pair failed to board their scheduled return flight from Prague, and their Vienna apartment was found empty.
  • Austrian police and the Israeli Embassy are investigating, but no leads have emerged, and the case has received little attention in Austrian media.

Anxiety is mounting over the safety of Mali and Liel Yahalomi, an Israeli mother and daughter who disappeared in Vienna on Friday. Their failure to board a return flight from Prague on Tuesday night has intensified concerns, with Austrian police continuing their investigation on Wednesday.

The vacation apartment the pair had been occupying in Vienna was found empty of their belongings. Both Austrian police and the Israeli Embassy in Vienna, along with the city's Chabad community, have reported a lack of progress in the case. The investigation has been transferred to the Vienna Police's central unit, signaling the seriousness with which the disappearance is being treated in Austria.

They were happy and joyful.

— Family member (via article)Describing the mood of Mali and Liel Yahalomi before their disappearance.

Despite the ongoing investigation, family members had not yet been questioned by Austrian authorities as of Wednesday. Contact with officials is being managed through the Israeli consulate, which is actively involved in the search efforts. Austrian authorities have not yet issued an official statement, and the case has garnered minimal coverage in Austrian news outlets, with reports largely relying on information from the Israeli Embassy and Israeli media.

Ronen Yahalomi, Mali's son and Liel's brother, arrived in Vienna on Wednesday to join the search. The trip was reportedly a birthday present for Mali, who celebrated her 50th birthday last week. The family last received messages and videos from Vienna on Friday, with the pair described as "happy and joyful." Initial lack of contact after Shabbat did not raise immediate alarm, but the continued silence prompted family members to seek information on Sunday.

Maybe there's a reason, since they aren't sharing details.

— Source familiar with coordination with the Jewish communityCommenting on the lack of community mobilization in the search, unusual for missing-person cases.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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