Mali and Liel Yahalomi, who flew to Prague and then continued to Vienna, were located by local police.
Israelis Mali Yahalomi, 50, and her daughter Liel, 23, were found aboard a long-distance bus in Argentina, seven days after contact with them was lost in Vienna. They were located by police in the South American country.
The Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem and local police received information about the women’s whereabouts and passed it on to the Israel Police. According to initial reports, the two women had planned their disappearance.
“We tracked their route and managed to reach the bus they were traveling on,” a police source said. “We knew they had apparently left the country of their own free will and that there were no threats against them, but we had to make sure of that. We made contact with them, updated them on developments and confirmed with them that there was no concern of criminal activity. From this point on, it is their decision. They cut off contact voluntarily and their lives are not in danger. This is not a criminal incident and there are no grounds for arrest.”
The mother and daughter, residents of the Modi’in area who were in debt and had purchased different phones, had been considered out of contact since Friday evening, Aug. 7. They landed in Prague the previous Tuesday, continued to Vienna and rented an apartment in an apartment building. Contact with them was lost that Friday.
According to the family, Mali and Liel had remained in regular contact with relatives, sharing photos and experiences from their trip, before suddenly going silent.
The Israel Police, in cooperation with security agencies and other relevant authorities in Israel and abroad, had been conducting an extensive and focused effort in recent days to locate the missing women. After extensive efforts and cooperation among all the agencies involved, including Europol and other foreign police organizations, the missing women were located.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.