Israeli Police Trace Missing Mother and Daughter to Buenos Aires After Planned Departure

After three days of investigation and searches across Israel and Europe, Israeli police successfully tracked the whereabouts of Mally and Liel Yehalomi, who were found safe on a bus in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The mother and daughter had left Israel voluntarily, a fact police understood early in the inquiry. To prevent them from altering their route, a gag order was issued to avoid revealing the investigation details publicly.

The investigation revealed that Mally and Liel traveled through several European countries, including the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany, before flying to South America on a flight booked in advance. They purchased a new mobile phone and abandoned their old devices to evade tracking. Intelligence units coordinated with European and South American contacts, and Israeli police liaison Walter Kogan played a key role in locating them.

Authorities uncovered partial communications between the two, including AI-assisted analysis of their messages, indicating the departure was planned about a month prior. The Yehalomis cited financial difficulties as the reason for leaving Israel, though investigators noted these were not substantial sums. Police concluded the two were adults who made their own decision, with no criminal suspicions involved.

Despite knowing they were being searched for, Mally and Liel chose not to contact their family and continued with their plans. The family was informed of the developments before the public release of footage showing the pair after their discovery. Police maintained regular contact with the family throughout the investigation, which is now nearing closure. The case is considered resolved from a law enforcement perspective, with remaining questions about their motives left to the family to address.