Nearly a week has passed since contact was lost with Mali and Liel Yahalomi, but as of Thursday evening, the Israel Police still has no lead that could help solve the mystery. The investigation is proceeding along several avenues, including the possibility of a terror-related incident, a criminal incident, or a voluntary disappearance.
The investigation is being led by the National Unit for Combating Economic Crime in Lahav 433. As part of efforts to determine the circumstances of their disappearance, investigators today questioned friends of the mother and daughter. They also went to Bank of Jerusalem, where Mali is employed, to collect testimony and information that could assist the investigation.
According to Channel 13, authorities in Austria increasingly believe that the two may no longer be in the country. This possibility significantly expands the search area and makes efforts to locate them more difficult.
The Yahalomi family published a video on Thursday addressing the rumor mill and conflicting reports surrounding Mali and Liel's disappearance
The family members made it clear that they will not comment on information that was unverified and was not received from official authorities, and asked that no direction be ruled out in the investigation.
"My family and I are aware of the rumor mill and the conflicting reports being spread by the media in the past few hours," one of the family members stated. "We wish to make clear that we are unable to comment on unverified information that does not come from the official bodies."
The family also mentioned the statement by Bank of Jerusalem and highlighted the findings of the inquiry reported by the bank. "Following the inquiry that was conducted, nothing was found indicating any unusual activities with the bank's funds or assets."
The family asked that all avenues of investigation remain open," We ask all relevant authorities not to rule out any avenue in the investigation."
"Amidst the uncertainty and worry, the family continues to hope and wish that the search will lead to them, and that this story will ultimately end and they will return home safely," it said. Earlier, it was reported that the Mossad was operating in Vienna as part of the search for the two.
Bank of Jerusalem sent a message to its customers on Thursday following information and rumors that had surfaced, clarifying that there is no concern that customers’ funds have been embezzled. The message was sent after the bank’s share price fell during the day, at one point dropping by 12.39%.
The message to customers stated: “Following information and rumors that have recently surfaced, and in light of a thorough and comprehensive examination conducted by the bank, we wish to clarify unequivocally that there is no concern whatsoever of embezzlement of Bank of Jerusalem customers’ funds."
The decline in the bank’s share price comes against the backdrop of rumors surrounding the disappearance of Mali Yahalomi, an employee of the bank. Bank of Jerusalem CEO Yair Kaplan addressed her disappearance in a letter to employees, writing: “Apart from the fact that she is an employee of the bank, no connection has been found between the incident and the bank."
Kaplan emphasized that a gag order has been imposed on the case and that information regarding it must not be disseminated. Bank of Jerusalem stated earlier: “Following an examination that was conducted, no findings were discovered indicating any unusual activity involving the bank’s funds or assets."