This evening (Tuesday), a video was released of the last time nine-year-old Haymanut Kasau was seen before she disappeared.
In the video, Haymanut was seen jumping and skipping together with her friends after handing out leaflets for today's municipal election outside the Jewish Agency absorption center in Tzfat (Safed), where her family has lived for the last three years since making aliyah from Ethiopia. She vanished shortly afterward at about 7:45 p.m. on Sunday night.
Police began searching for Hayamanut about three hours after she was last seen. The possibility that she was kidnapped by a relative living abroad has been ruled out. However, police are still investigating the possibility that she was kidnapped by sex offenders.
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai arrived at the scene of the disappearance this morning and said that all avenues of investigation are being pursued. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke to Haymanut's parents and promised that "no stone will be left unturned" to bring her home.
Earlier, Israel Dog Unit director Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov commented: “This is a most unusual case, and not only because of the victim's age and the significant period of time that has elapsed since her disappearance. We have no records of an otherwise ordinary girl disappearing for such a long time in a heavily trafficked urban area. It is most disturbing that there is so far not even a single testimony about her.”
“We pray that we will find her in time, and ask the public to distribute her picture and immediately send any information that may help locate her to our hotline at 0544876709.”