Police Discover Eldar Dayan’s Body After Bloodied Car Found at Petah Tikva Gas Station

On July 18 at 16:30, two days after contact was lost with Eldar Dayan, a concerned citizen called the police to report a car abandoned at a gas station in Petah Tikva with a shattered windshield covered in blood. The vehicle was later identified as belonging to the mother of one of the two suspects in Dayan’s murder. Earlier that day, Dayan’s body was found in an advanced state of decomposition in an open area near Highway 40, about 200 meters from the gas station where the car was discovered.

The police received the call reporting that several people had fled the scene after apparently hitting someone with the car. The citizen described the windshield as "full of blood" and said the suspects had parked the car and fled on foot. Initial searches by the Southern District police had found only helmets, but after the investigation was transferred to the Central District unit under Commissioner Amir Cohen, renewed searches led to the discovery of Dayan’s body.

Dayan’s family had reported him missing about two weeks earlier, but were only informed of the body’s discovery through the media, not directly by police. The National Institute of Forensic Medicine confirmed the identification that evening. Meanwhile, a Petah Tikva court extended the detention of Dayan’s two friends by seven days, with the police now officially charging them with murder. The court ordered the hearing to be held behind closed doors at the request of defense attorneys and police.

Dayan’s lawyer, Sapir Perdo, criticized the police for their handling of the case, stating that the family repeatedly pleaded with authorities to take the disappearance seriously, but were reassured that Dayan was likely alive. She called the outcome tragic and accused the police of failing in their duty during the critical days after Dayan was reported missing. A meeting with the police’s National Unit commander is scheduled for the following day to discuss the investigation.

Key evidence includes the bloodied car at the gas station and the discovery of Dayan’s body nearby. The investigation is ongoing with the suspects in custody and charged with murder.