FBI Joins Search for Missing 2-Year-old Washington Boy: Sky Metalwala. Foul Play is NOW suspected! Father has re-gained full custody of their daughter. Still No Arrests and Mother is Not Talking!

She seems to have a thing for Justin Bieber. Nuff said!

I agree with you art. I think she hatched up this story because she had already done that before and it was easy to conger up at the time. I honestly think she did something to little Sky way before, because there have been no sightings of him for at least 2 weeks.

I would think they have interviewed his older sister and I would like to know what she has to say!

Sky Metalwala Missing: Only Mom, Julia Biryukova, And Sister Had Seen Boy Recently, Police Say

First Posted: 11/9/11 10:19 AM ET
Updated: 11/9/11 08:27 PM ET

By DONNA BLANKINSHIP and GENE JOHNSON, Associated Press

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Frustrated police in Washington state said Tuesday that they were working to trace the steps of a missing toddler's mother over the past two weeks because her story about the boy's disappearance makes little sense.

The woman, Julia Biryukova, told investigators that her 2-year-old son, Sky Metalwala, vanished Sunday in Bellevue when she left him sleeping alone in her unlocked car for an hour after it ran out of gas. The 30-year-old claimed she and her 4-year-old daughter walked to a gas station, and when they returned to the car, the boy was gone.

"Given the limited amount of information we have, the fact that there's really no solid leads to follow up on in regard to where he might be - absolutely, we suspect foul play," Police Maj. Mike Johnson told reporters. "Nothing about the story adds up. Something else happened."

When investigators questioned relatives, family friends and neighbors, only Biryukova and the boy's sister reported seeing him in the past two weeks, said Bellevue police spokeswoman Carla Iafrate.

The girl told police Sunday that her brother had been in the car when they left it, Iafrate said. A detective trained in questioning children interviewed her again Monday, Iafrate said, but "nothing significant" came out of it.

Detectives were working to collect surveillance video from any place Biryukova may have been over the past two weeks, Iafrate said. She has so far declined to take a polygraph examination; neither she nor her lawyer returned calls or emails seeking comment Monday and Tuesday.

Iafrate characterized Biryukova's interactions with police as "a certain level of cooperation."

Sky's disappearance came amid a bitter divorce and custody fight between Biryukova and the boy's father, Solomon Metalwala. At a mandatory mediation session last week, the parties reached a tentative agreement that would allow Metalwala to have some visitation with Sky and his older sister, said Metalwala's lawyer, Leslie Clay Terry III.

Investigators have invited the boy's relatives to take polygraph tests in hopes of shaking loose any clues to his whereabouts. Metalwala took one Monday night but it was inconclusive; he offered to take another one Tuesday, but Iafrate did not immediately know whether the second test took place.

Biryukova claimed she had been driving to a Bellevue hospital because Sky wasn't feeling well when the car ran out of gas, police said. The hospital wasn't the closest one to her home in nearby Redmond, but she reportedly told detectives she liked the Bellevue hospital better. It wasn't immediately clear what might have been wrong with the boy.

If Sky was in fact left in the car, it wouldn't have been the first time.

When he was 3 months old, his parents left him in their SUV in a Target parking lot for 55 minutes on a 27-degree day, court records showed. The couple came out of the store to get Sky only after police arrived and asked for the vehicle's owner to be paged.

Redmond police cited both parents for reckless endangerment in the December 2009 incident. However, the case was dismissed early this year after the pair completed a year of probation, 40 hours of community service and a 10-week parenting class.

In court documents filed in their divorce, Biryukova said their relationship deteriorated in 2008 after they bought an expensive home in Kirkland and couldn't keep up with the payments on that property and a condominium they owned.

The divorce case has been marked by back-and-forth protection orders. She accused her husband of beating her and the children; he alleged she had severe psychiatric problems that endangered them.

Terry said state Child Protective Services later conducted an investigation that cleared Metalwala.

Meanwhile, a social worker reported this year that a doctor found Biryukova to be in good mental health and an appropriate caregiver for the kids.

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Police wonder if missing-child case was inspired by ‘Law and Order’

What does an episode of “Law and Order: SVU” have to do with the disappearance of 2-year-old Sky Metalwala? Maybe nothing, but investigators think the premise of a recent episode seems too “on the money” to discount as a lead, according to KIRO TV.

How’s this for uncanny: In the episode, a young mother leaves her son in a car when she ducks into a convenience store for diapers. When she comes back, he’s gone.

But there’s a twist. On “Law and Order,” the child was already dead, and the missing-person report was a twisted ploy by two parents mired in a difficult divorce.

The show’s plot was “strikingly similar in nature” to the real-life case, Bellevue Police Maj. Mike Johnson told The Associated Press.

In the Metalwala case, there’s also a difficult divorce, a child reportedly left in a car and a frantic search for the toddler.

The “Law and Order” episode aired last weekend, and now police want to know if Metalwala’s mother saw the show.

Here’s the episode, courtesy of Hulu. What do you think – coincidence or credible lead?

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Please click on above link for episode.

Right now there are several concerning numbers in the case of missing Sky Metalwala, and a lot of apparent lies…from his mother, Julia Biryukova. The disturbing picture is created when the numbers are looked at in combination, and it points to the likelihood that Sky is, in fact, dead, and his mother knows it.

Police working the case of missing toddler Sky Metalwala have not been able to find anyone who had seen the child for about 14 days prior to his “disappearance”. That’s concerning on it’s own. However, when you add in that just 4 days before his disappearance there was a 12 hour mediation meeting in the embattled divorce/custody case between his parents, those 14 days become a huge pregnant pause about to deliver something very terrifying.

How did Julia Biryukova attend a 12 hour mediation session with her estranged husband Solomon Metalwala and there be no one available to verify they’ve seen Sky in the 2 weeks prior to his disappearance? Where was Sky and where was his 4-year-old sister during that 12 hours? We have no confirmation that investigators have confirmed a caretaker for the older girl, but we do have their statement that no one had seen Sky for the 2 weeks prior. Were both children left alone for 12 hours unattended?

Leaving her children unattended for “extended periods” has been reported to be something Julia was known to do. Is that the day something happened to Sky? Is that why, within 1 or 2 days (it’s being reported both ways) Julia phoned one of the attorneys and said she wanted to “void” the agreement reached in the mediation session? An agreement, by the way, that granted Solomon his visitation rights. Is that why, with an impending visitation period where she would need to produce Sky, she staged this ludicrous abduction story?

Which…is following apart. Investigators drained the gas from the gas tank of Julia’s vehicle and there were 2.2 gallons of fuel left in the tank. That would pretty much explain why, when Julia left the vehicle (allegedly with the child still in it and the doors unlocked) and walked with her 4-year-old daughter almost a mile to a gas station, she didn’t even bother getting gas. She knew she didn’t need any…though she seems slightly less intelligent than a slug to not figure she might ought to act like she thought she needed some!

Instead of purchasing a gas can and gas she just called her friend to come pick her up. She had to do that because, according to police, she had set off to take sick Sky to the hospital without her purse, ID or cell phone…which would have made getting medical care for the child pretty tough. Unless the child was in a life-threatening medical emergency I’m not aware of too many hospitals that will just treat a child without verification that the person bringing them in has legal authority to approve medical treatment.

The friend was, in the words of the investigators and the friend, as “incredulous” toward Julia’s decisions that day as we, and the authorities, are. The friend has said she was stymied to find that when she arrived to pick up Julia that only the older daughter was with her…meaning she had walked away from the 2-year-old boy abandoned in a vehicle. When they arrived back at the vehicle and found the child missing, it was the friend who called 911, according to police.

Interestingly (and not just to us laypeople observers but to the authorities), just 1 day before…in fact, the night before, an episode of Law and Order aired that is eerily and undeniably similar to Julia’s apparently staged abduction story concerning Sky’s disappearance. In that episode a child comes up missing in the middle of a bitter divorce battle. The parent claims the child was in the back seat of a car (alone) when the car was stolen. When the car is found, the baby is missing. Conclusion of episode…there was no car thief.

During a press conference yesterday Bellevue police disclosed that the initial interview with Sky’s older sister resulted in the girl stating that Sky was in the car on Sunday. They did not expect to get this answer from the girl. Honestly, I did not expect them too either. The possible explanations are:

* Sky was in the car that day, but much earlier in the morning.
* Sky was never in the car that day, but the mother some how tricked the little girl into believing he was. The child is reported to have told authorities that her little brother was “wrapped up in a blanket”. That’s a very disturbing statement. It’s pretty hard to strap a 2 year old, who is “wrapped up in a blanket”, into a car seat. It leaves someone to wonder if she even saw his face.
* But there is another possibility…

There’s two ways to look at the 12-hour mediation session. Either way it’s pretty disturbing.

1. Sky was not alive at the time of the 12-hour mediation session and that’s why it took an entire day. If something had already happened to Sky then Julia would have been almost immovable in mediating toward visitation. Or, would she have been immovable? If your child is dead, say from neglect like leaving them unattended for an extended period of time, and you’ve decided you’re going to hide that, would you even show up to a mediation session? Would you ever give in to an agreement that would require you produce that child? I don’t know, but this particular scenario doesn’t fit well for me. With the history of accusations lodged between Julia and Solomon (both parties having a history of filing for protective orders against the other, and both parties having a history of making accusations of violence, neglect, abuse, etc. against the other party), I’m not sure we need to read the 12 hour mediation marathon as indicating Sky wasn’t alive anymore. It appears that Julia is psychologically whacked enough that….it might take 12 hours to get her reasonable.

2. Sky was alive at the time of the mediation session….and left in the care of his 4-year-old sister….for 12 hours. And then he wasn’t. If this is the scenario that has taken place, police are going to be dealing with a scared little 4-year-old girl who has a psychologically disturbed mother, who may have come home to a dead 2-year-old son and no telling what she said to this little girl.

This woman appears to be highly disturbed. I’m not sure how she would handle returning from that mediation session to find a dead baby. She obviously would not handle it with honesty, because the falseness of her abduction story is obvious. Did she tell the little girl it was her fault? Did she tell the little girl that if she did not tell police exactly what her mommy told her to say she would go to jail for killing her little brother? Is this little girl scared to death?
source
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This woman appears to be highly disturbed. I’m not sure how she would handle returning from that mediation session to find a dead baby. She obviously would not handle it with honesty, because the falseness of her abduction story is obvious. Did she tell the little girl it was her fault? Did she tell the little girl that if she did not tell police exactly what her mommy told her to say she would go to jail for killing her little brother? Is this little girl scared to death?
source

This is sadly IMO what I think happened. This is so dang sad! What pisses me of the most, is that this should have never happened. They should have had their kids taken away from them or at least been more monitored by CPS after the Target incident.

mommyof3kids wrote:

This woman appears to be highly disturbed. I’m not sure how she would handle returning from that mediation session to find a dead baby. She obviously would not handle it with honesty, because the falseness of her abduction story is obvious. Did she tell the little girl it was her fault? Did she tell the little girl that if she did not tell police exactly what her mommy told her to say she would go to jail for killing her little brother? Is this little girl scared to death?
source

This is sadly IMO what I think happened. This is so dang sad! What pisses me of the most, is that this should have never happened. They should have had their kids taken away from them or at least been more monitored by CPS after the Target incident.

:pale:
thanks for posting the hinkey article here for me to read.

Well Art actually posted it, I just stole a chunk from it. LOL.

I keep going to the local news stations in Seattle to see if she has confessed or if they have found his body yet. I'm sorry, but I have little hope with this case, as she is obviously lying here and no one has seen her kids in 2 weeks. I wonder where the Grandparents are, or if they live in another Country?

I agree with every word you said Mommy. I too was wondering where her family is.

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- The car that the mother of a missing boy had said run out of gas and became disabled appeared to be running just fine during a police test drive early Friday morning.

Investigators were testing Julia Biryukova's Acura and a KOMO News crew saw the car being driven back to the police headquarters in Bellevue. The car was followed by what appeared to be several undercover police cars and a service vehicle that could help if there were any mechanical problems.

The car test was the latest attempt by police to corroborate Biryukova's story that her 2-year-old son Sky Metalwala vanished Sunday after her car ran out of gas and she left him sleeping alone while she walked to get gas. Police earlier determined the car's gas tank was not empty at the time.

Police said the mother was cooperating with police, but hoped she would provide additional information. They made a public plea on Thursday, urging her to talk to them.

"Polygraph or not, there are questions we'd like to ask Julie with her attorney present," Bellevue Police Maj. Mike Johnson said.

Biryukova has already declined a polygraph test. Johnson said investigators hoped many of those who are close to the missing boy's mother would agree to take the test. Investigators refused to identify the parties being asked to take the test out of respect for their privacy.

The boy's father, Solomon Metalwala, said he, like the investigators, believes Biryukova holds the key to finding Sky.

"Of course," he said. "She was with Sky, and she's been with Sky the last 10 months. She has to know where Sky is. She has to know."

Police said Thursday there are still no new leads on where Sky is. A small shoe was found Thursday evening near the area where Sky was last seen, but police later determined it didn't belong to the toddler. Bellevue police said a passerby found the shoe around 8 p.m. Thursday near Hidden Valley Sports Park, just several blocks from the location where Sky was last seen.

But investigators determined the shoe doesn't belong to the boy after police dogs failed to pick up the boy's scent on the shoe.

Also on Thursday, rumors of a ransom note that had allegedly been sent to the missing boy's family surfaced on a Facebook page titled "Find Sky Metalwala - Missing From Bellevue, Washington". The page administrator posted what was called a "ransom e-mail" that he or she had received earlier in the day. The author said the e-mail, which allegedly demanded $25,000 for the safe return of the missing boy, was forwarded to authorities. However, Bellevue police said they'd not been told of any ransom note, and were not investigating any such e-mail.

Bellevue Police were scheduled to have their next update to the media at a 10:30 a.m. news conference.

A $1,000 reward is being offered in the case. Anyone with any information regarding the disappearance of Sky Metalwala should contact the Bellevue Police Department at (425) 452-2546 or through their e-mail tipline at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]://www.komonews.com/news/local/133687088.html

Missing boy's mom's car passes road test

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Bellevue police investigators overnight Thursday test drove Julia Biryukova's 1998 Acura Integra, the car she claimed that had run out of gas and prompted her to leave her 2-year-old son, Sky Metalwala, in Sunday.

KING 5 News followed a squad of investigators as they navigated the Acura along the streets of Bellevue and Redmond. A fleet of undercover police officers followed the Acura, including a detective with a video camera, as police drove the route that Biryukova took Sunday before she said Sky disappeared.

After a two hour test drive, it appeared there were no apparent problems with the car.

Biryukova said she ran out of gas and left Sky alone in the unlocked car to go for help. Police said there was enough gas in the car to drive a considerable distance, but they wanted to check if there was a mechanical problem that would have caused the car to break down.

Bellevue police were expected to give more details on what experts found during that test drive and how police will now look at Biryukova during a 10:30 a.m. news conference Friday. Click back here to watch it live.
Shoe of toddler discovered in area
Thursday evening, Bellevue police and crime scene investigators had gone back to the area where Sky had disappeared.
A shoe of a toddler was found about a quarter of a mile from the scene. A couple who was walking on 112th Street found the shoe and called 9-1-1.
"My daughter spotted a shoe by the side of the road and I wondered if it had anything to do. I came up took a look at it. Yeah, looks like a two-year-old's, better call it in," said Paul Hurd. "It's probably nothing, but who knows. Something small may be the key to solving the whole case."

Bellevue police said there was no confirmation whether the shoe belonged to Sky. Police dogs didn’t pick up Sky's scent when police compared the shoe to other objects that belonged to the missing boy; however, the shoe has not been fully analyzed yet.

Police said they were told Sky didn’t have shoes on when he went missing, but at this point they are checking into anything that might be a clue into his disappearance.

"We've gotta make sure we follow up. We've got a lot of resources, a lot of man hours in this, so if someone calls us up, we're going to look into it," said Bellevue Police Department Officer Carla Iafrate.

Police make a direct request

Police on Thursday used an afternoon press conference to issue a direct request to Biryukova that she sit down with them soon to answer questions about the disappearance of her son.

"I want to make a public invitation to Julia, via her attorney, and let her know that we are open and willing to interview her and take information from her when she is ready to do that," said Bellevue Police Department Maj. Mike Johnson.

The remarks are just the latest made by police signaling their frustration at Biryukova's unwillingness to talk directly with investigators searching for Sky.

"Polygraph or not, we have questions for Julia we'd like to ask, with her attorney present," Johnson said later in the press conference,

Biryukova has declined requests to undergo a polygraph exam, and she has responded this week to investigators' questions through her attorney.

Meanwhile, Sky's father, Solomon Metalwala, said he believes Sky is still alive and that he doesn't believe Biryukova's account of how the boy went missing.

"I one hundred percent believe ... that my son is out there and that he's going to come back home," he said.

"I do believe Julia is responsible" for whatever happened to Sky, Metalwala said, adding he doen’t understand Biryukova's reluctance to talk with police.

"I'm shocked, as you guys are shocked... I'm puzzled, as you guys are puzzled. What is she doing?" he said.

Metalwala also confirmed he will undergo a second polygraph at Bellevue Police Headquarters. Metalwala sat for a polygraph on Monday, but the results were inconclusive, a result that Metalwala's attorney blamed on fatigue and stress.

Court documents show Biryukova left both her children unattended for several hours last Tuesday when Biryukova attended a lengthy divorce mediation session with Metalwala.

Johnson said Thursday that Biryukova is not a suspect or person of interest at this time.

"At what point does Julia become a person of interest or a suspect, or anyone in the case for that matter?" Johnson said rhetorically. "[It's] a question that I have as well and we're going to talk about today and get our heads around that issue," he added.

TIPLINE: 425-452-2564

Police would like to hear from anyone who may have traveled along 112th Ave N.E., between SR 520 and NE 24th Ave N.E., Sunday morning between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.

The missing boy is half South Asian and Caucasian, 2-foot-2 and 39 pounds with brown eyes, a dark buzzcut hair and was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and black and aqua blue sweatpants and white socks.

The car Biryukova drove is a silver 1998 Acura Integra three-door coupe.

Anyone who saw these people or this vehicle on November 6 is asked to call (425) 452-2564 or email [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].
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This "mother" is dumber than a box of rocks!! Even TMLS knew to make sure her car was out of gas when she left it at the Amscot.

Did she not think that once her friend (not HER) called 911 that LE would see the car had 2 gallons of gas and is driveable?? Really, this is complete BS!!

Where is Baby Sky??????

You are so right Wrap. She's either beyond dumb or maybe the mental illness she supposedly has clouded her thinking process.
Plus the four year old must know at least if the baby had been in the car that night. I feel so bad for the four year old!

NG interviews father last night. Must see!!

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I really feel for that father! You can tell he is really heartbroken and the way he describes Julia's OCD level is SCARY to say the least. I have watched a show on people that have EXTREME OCD, one's who have to clean in a certain order the same time EVERY DAY ALL DAY! I really think that she most likely left him home with his 4 year old sister and something in that 12 hours span while she was in mediation. Or maybe I am just trying to come up with an excuse for her because I just hate grasping that any Mother would deliberately harm their child

raine1953 wrote:You are so right Wrap. She's either beyond dumb or maybe the mental illness she supposedly has clouded her thinking process.
Plus the four year old must know at least if the baby had been in the car that night. I feel so bad for the four year old!

The 4 yr old sister already said he was in the car but wrapped in blanket. That does not mean he was alive when put in the car. How in the world could a 4 yr old comprehend enough to be a reliable witness to what ever happened. I don't think you are giving this Mother an excuse of any kind by suggesting she left the 4 yr old alone with her Brother and something happened. I kind of feel that is what happened.

I cant find a link on this but Nancy Grace is reporting a ransom note has been found connected to this case. If anyone finds a link please post

Posted: 5:38 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011
'Ransom' email sent to Sky Metalwala's family looks like email sent to missing hiker's family

BELLEVUE —

KIRO 7 has uncovered what appears to be a scam email sent to the family of Sky Metalwala claiming that the boy is alive and demanding a ransom.

The note is similar to a ransom note sent last week to the family of missing hiker Patti Krieger, KIRO 7's Deborah Horne reports. The two notes have the same grammatical errors, but demand a different amount of money.

The email says Sky is alive, but suffering from "shock and mentally unstable." The writer then demands $25,000, "if you sure want your child back alive."

KIRO 7 was alerted to the email by the creator of a Sky Metalwala Facebook page who wished to remain anonymous.

We showed the email to Alan Patterson, Patti Krieger's son.

"There's a lot of similarities in this email that there were in the ones that were sent to us," he said.

Patterson said he knows the pain a note like that can cause.

"I feel sorry for the parents of that kid," he said.

And he had this to say about whoever sent it: "It's the most cowardly thing I think I've ever seen. Cowardly and disgusting. And preying on a family's misery."

Bellevue police say they are investigating the note.

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video I cannot embed.

Police: Baby Sky Likely Dead
Local police are reporting fear that baby Sky is dead.

CNN is reporting a ransom note has surfaced demanding $25,000 or Baby Sky will have his fingers cut off. This comes after local media reported an email ransom note, with the same demand.

If the text of the note is released, we can apply Statement Analysis to the note to show if it is a fraud, in the manner of Jonbenet Ramsey.

Meanwhile a police spokesman has gone on record as saying that baby Sky may be dead, given the passage of time since the report of running out of gas, by the mother, which police believe is a lie.

The mother has refused to take a polygraph while her child is missing. On November 6, she said she ran out of gas, left him in the car, and went with her 4 year old to get gas, though she had no gas can, and police said gas was still in her car.

When Sky was a baby, his mother and father were forced to take parenting classes for leaving him alone in the car while they went shopping.

The ransom note reported by CNN appears to be the fraudulent email ransom note reported on Thursday by local media.

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Posted on November 11, 2011 at 6:42 PM

BELLEVUE, Seattle -- No one answered Friday when a KING 5 reporter knocked on the door of the Redmond apartment where Julia Biryukova lives.

Her father is believed to be in Russia or Ukraine, and her mother Nadia Biryukova is not answering her door or returning messages.

“Two days ago, I saw her,” says Pichu Liu, who says she’s had a good relationship with Nadia, her next door neighbor and the grandmother of Sky Metalwala, the two-year-old reported missing on Sunday.

Liu recalled a moment in March when Nadia said her daughter was having marital problems. “She told me about the problem with her daughter. She was crying.”

She doesn’t know why Nadia has not answered questions about her grandson’s disappearance. However, “I heard her talking loud on the phone with someone, and know she’s been in and out.”

To date, the Biryukova family has not issued even a written statement. Biryukova’s criminal attorney has not returned messages or offered an interview.

But Julia Biryukova has been on Facebook. This week she added a new friend -- Stephanie Snider.

“She just wanted to see if there was a recent picture of Sky,” said Connie Snider, explaining why her daughter reached out to Julia. Snider said the family has known Julia for years, and even had her over to the house last March as Biryukova was going through custody hearings.

“She was very concerned about every little item, every little detail,” said Snider. “She was very, very concerned about the accusations about stability.”

But Snider said she also wonders why the family hasn’t said a thing since Sky allegedly disappeared on Sunday.

“I feel that’s the least they can do. Come forward and make a statement, a polygraph statement, whatever, whatever it can be, especially Julia.”

“It’s a very rare scenario that’s playing out in Washington,” said child safety expert Alison Feigh, who works for the National Child Protection Training Center. “We counsel parents to get their face out there. Parents have to be, you know, available both for law enforcement and hopefully have a family member or close friend be available to the media.”

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OMG!!!! This is a MUST Hear Recording of horrific audio of Sky, his sister and parents.

One is on 10/28 and the other is on 11/4.

These poor kids!!!!!!!!

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Missing Boy’s Mom’s Car Had Gas, Ran Fine, Police Say

Early Friday morning, Bellevue police test drove the car that the mother of a missing boy claimed he vanished from last weekend.

Julia Biryukova had told authorities that she left 2-year-old Sky Metalwala alone in the car while she went to get help with her 4-year-old daughter after she ran out of gas on Sunday morning.

According to Maj. Mike Johnson, however, the car did have gas in it. He said at a morning press conference that investigators drove it on Friday with the same amount of gas that was in the tank when they got it.

He would not go into specifics about the condition of the car, other than to say, “The vehicle operated just fine.”
Johnson had made a public plea Thursday night for Biryukova to meet with investigators and answer questions as doubts continued to grow about her version of events, but police had not yet received any response from her or her attorney.

Sky’s father, Solomon Metalwala, came in for a second polygraph test Thursday, Johnson confirmed. The results of a previous test were inconclusive and Johnson would not discuss the outcome of Thursday’s.

Johnson also told reporters Friday that cops have determined that a toddler’s shoe that was found near where Biryukova abandoned her car is not connected to the case. It was not Sky’s size and search dogs did not pick up his scent on it.

He said he expected to talk to detectives later in the day about what information would be necessary to declare Biryukova a person of interest or suspect in the case. Currently, she is neither, but when asked if it was unfair for police to be talking so publicly about the holes in her story, Johnson responded, “It’s the facts speaking, not us.”

Biryukova and Metalwala had been locked in a bitter custody fight over Sky and his sister for over a year. In hundreds of pages of court documents obtained by HLN, she accused him of being abusive and he claimed she suffered from a severe obsessive compulsive disorder that endangered the children. In one declaration, Metalwala alleged that Biryukova told him she had dreamed of strangling Sky.

Metalwala’s attorney said on HLN’s “Nancy Grace” that the couple reached an agreement after an 11-hour mediation session last week, but Biryukova called him days later to try to void it. He said he later learned that she left the children home alone during the mediation.

Investigators say nobody has reported seeing Sky in the two weeks before he was reported missing besides his mother and sister.

The owner of a Facebook page devoted to the search for Sky had announced on the site Thursday that they received a “ransom e-mail” demanding $25,000 for the boy’s safe return. The writer threatened to cut off Sky’s fingers if the money was not sent.

The note was very similar to one that KIRO reported was recently received by the son of Patti Krieger, a hiker who has been missing for more than a year. Like the note for Sky, it was signed “The Keeper,” but that one sought $250,000 and demanded that the money be wired to Ghana.

Asked about the note Friday, Johnson said, “That’s absolutely not true from our standpoint. We know nothing about that…If our investigators don’t have it, we’d like to.”

Police have received more than 330 tips in the case, according to Johnson. Anyone with information related to Sky Metalwala’s disappearance is asked to contact the Bellevue Police Department at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] or 425-452-2564.

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Wrapitup wrote:OMG!!!! This is a MUST Hear Recording of horrific audio of Sky, his sister and parents.

One is on 10/28 and the other is on 11/4.

These poor kids!!!!!!!!

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That was heart wrenching to listen to! I wonder if Dad knew she was taping him. No way in hell would I have made that kid go w/ him w/ her crying like that! No way would I have stayed that long either w/ that child so upset. Mom actually sounds pretty sane there but if she was the one taping the conversation, no wonder. I cannot imagine what those kids have been thru' living w/ those parents!!!!

Unless you can take a lot of kids screaming don't listen to this link. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] I could not listen to the whole thing.
Who ever sent that ransom note should be prosecuted.

What was the circumstances of that tape? Was the father supposed to take them on a visitation? Someone clue me in

I listened to the tapes - It brought back memories of dropping my daughter at daycare. The screaming and crying and clinging. This only lasted a couple of weeks but I didn't have a choice, I had to work. I would pick her up in the evenings and she'd be laughing and playing. I finally learned that if I kept up a positive attitude and talked about what fun she was going to have, the drop off became easier. Why did the mother post these tapes on-line, is she trying to garner sympathy for herself or make daddy look bad. Certainly posting these was not for the children's sake. Mommy was very negative during these exchanges. She brings up inappropriate things in front of the child - the keeping away from her for 7 months - the hitting she witnessed, etc. You don't give a 3 year old an option. Dragging it out just made it worse.

My 2 1/2 year old grandson cried a couple of weeks ago because he didn't want to go to the pumpkin patch with mommy, daddy and grandma and grandpa. He sure had fun after we got there.

My grandson cries at times when mommy drops him off at day care. He clings to her legs and says he's crying cause he's going to miss her - except for the other day when he said he was crying cause he was gonna miss his truck (papaw got him a remote control truck).

artgal16 wrote:What was the circumstances of that tape? Was the father supposed to take them on a visitation? Someone clue me in

Yes the Mom taped the kids as they were being forced to visit with their Dad. Now because it is only audio who knows what the Mom is doing to keep them screaming like that. I could not listen to it. It made me want to

It was terrible to hear - but we dont know what the mother told the children about their father and scared them to death
before hand - the poor little girl -she will be messed up her whole life from these things.

I am beginning to think that the
"mother" planned this "car ran out of gas' b.s. I think she thought if she released those tapes online, it would garner her sympathy.

All planned out is what I am beginning to think.

I, too, could Not listen to the entire thing. Just hearing that little girl sobbing was horrible and it made me want to jump thru my puter and hug that child.

By NEAL KARLINSKY (@NealKarlinsky) , CHRISTINA CARON (@cdcaron) and SUZAN CLARKE
Nov. 13, 2011

Authorities and volunteers are expanding their search efforts today for a 2-year-old boy from Washington who has been missing for a week.

Police said they are doubling back on their earlier work and retracing their steps to find Sky Metalwala.

Without any significant leads, police are growing doubtful they'll find the boy alive.

"Every hour that passes, this case becomes more and more disappointing for us that we haven't found something to lead to his discovery yet," Bellevue police Maj. Mike Johnson said.

K-9 units have covered the ground, hoping to pick up the scent of the missing toddler as dive teams combed the waters, looking for any clues.

On Saturday, police scoured a park near the apartment complex where Sky lived with his mother, Julia Biryukova.

Biryukova told police earlier that she left Sky alone in her car after she ran out of gas and walked off for help. When she returned to her silver Acura SUV, the child was gone, she told police.

Police say there's still no sign of missing 2-year-old Sky Metalwala, and his mother's account of what happened on the day he disappeared is becoming increasingly suspicious.

According to police, Biryukova did walk to the Northtowne Chevron Service, but she never bought gas there, police said.

Instead, she spent time walking around a wealthy neighborhood where she reportedly didn't ask anyone for help, officials said.

When detectives checked to see how much gas was left in her car, they found enough for her to have continued driving.

Investigators took her car for a test drive, to see if it had any mechanical problems that would have forced her to leave it on the side of the road.

Police said they are now convinced it didn't have engine trouble and there was plenty of gas in the tank.

"I'll let the evidence speak to itself, which is there was gas in the car and was able to drive and operate. That's not what Julia told us," Bellevue police Maj. Mike Johnson said.

Police said that after Biryukova visited the gas station she called a friend who picked her up and took her back to her two-door silver Acura, where they allegedly discovered the boy was missing.

Sky's father, Solomon Metalwala, said Wednesday that he thinks Biryukova is connected with his son's disappearance.

"I do believe that Julia has a, she's responsible …," Metalwala said speaking of Biryukova. "It's sad. Because if she can just cooperate, we can find where, where is our son."

Metalwala has agreed to take two polygraph tests, but Biryukova has refused to be tested, telling investigators that she has been too disturbed to participate.

Police have made a public appeal for Biryukova's cooperation, and have also asked the public to help.

Biryukova's attorney declined requests for comment to ABC News.

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After listening to the audio upthread, I agree with "Art". IMHO, this "mother" loves her daughter much more than her son. This is My Opinion Only.

Sky Metalwala case may turn to criminal investigation today

by KING 5 News
NWCN.com
Posted on November 14, 2011 at 7:47 AM

BELLEVUE, Wash. – Police say they will discuss switching their efforts in the case of two-year-old Sky Metalwala from a missing person search to a criminal investigation

There is a chance they could bring in Sky’s mother, Julia Biryukova, for investigation of child endangerment. Police say she claimed she left Sky alone in her car on 112th Street NE on November 6 after the car ran out of gas. She said she left the boy strapped into his car seat and went to get help. When she returned an hour later, the boy was gone.

“On Monday we will be talking to prosecutors and will determine then if anything will happen, but that won't happen until Monday,” Bellevue Police Major Mike Johnson said Monday.

Johnson said police remain frustrated with the information flow from Sky’s mother.

“But we understand that she’s traumatized by this and devastated by the loss of her son,” he said. “We’re hopeful that if she can gather herself we can have that conversation that we need to have.”

Police road tested the car, which they say still had gas in it, last week. There were no apparent problems with the car.

Police set up a partial roadblock Sunday along 112th Street NE to talk to drivers about the case. They said a dozen tips came in as a result of the stops, adding to the more than 300 tips police have already received.

Sky’s father and volunteers spent the weekend canvassing the area, posting flyers with pictures of Sky. Searchers also looked around Marymoor Park in Redmond.

Bellevue police along with various police agencies including the FBI, have been searching for the boy.

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Police receive new tips in search for Sky Metalwala

updated 11/14/2011 10:15:56 AM ET

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Police have received a dozen tips from people who stopped at a checkpoint along 112th street NE in Bellevue Sunday as they continue to investigate the disappearance of two-year-old Sky Metalwala. Drivers along 112th street NE in Bellevue stopped and talked with a contingent of police officers, who are hoping for a break in the case. “Our hope is, as this has gained some notoriety throughout the week, there are people that we haven’t talked to yet that frequented that area last Sunday morning and by being out there, having the presence at the scene, maybe we’ll spark someone’s remembrance of an incident they saw last week,” Bellevue Police Maj. Mike Johnson said. Johnson said police had about 20 to 30 contacts with people.

“Those contacts with vehicles and pedestrians led to the development of about 12 new tips that we’ll be following up on today,” said Johnson. “Specifically what the tips are I don’t know yet.” Johnson said officers also spent time Sunday at the apartment complex of Julia Biryukova, Sky's mother, hoping to find someone who remembers something about last weekend that may help them find the child. Bellevue police are also talking to authorities in other cities to get advice about how they handled similar cases. Johnson said investigators have talked about the danger of focusing too much on any one area of the investigation.

“This notion of having tunnel vision on one particular theory is something we have to avoid as we consider every possible option that’s out there,” said Johnson. “We’re trying to do that, we’re checking each other on that as we move forward and we feel confident to date that we’ve done that.”

But, Johnson said, in the absence of any really good leads and information it’s difficult to cross theories off the list.

Johnson said police remain frustrated with the information flow from Sky’s mother.

“But we understand that she’s traumatized by this and devastated by the loss of her son,” he said. “We’re hopeful that if she can gather herself we can have that conversation that we need to have.” Sky disappeared along 112th Street NE November 6 after Biryukova said her car ran out of gas. She said she left the boy strapped into his car seat and went to get help. When she returned an hour later, the boy was gone. Bellevue police along with various police agencies including the FBI, have been searching for the boy, using a variety of tactics. Intense searches in the area where the boy was last seen have been conducted as well as at his Redmond home. More than 350 tips have also come in. Sunday they set up a partial roadblock on 112th NE in hopes that those who normally drive this route on Sundays may recall information from a week ago. Besides police officers standing by, big placards with Sky Metalwala's picture and description are posted on the road. Some drivers are stopping to talk, but police would not elaborate on what information they are receiving. While the search continues on a number of fronts, speculation about possible charges against the mother grows. Bellevue Police Major Mike Johnson saying "on Monday we will be talking to prosecutors and will determine then if anything will happen, but that won't happen until Monday."

The Bellevue Police Department is asking anyone with information to call the hotline at 425-452-2564.

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Sky Metalwala's Mom on Police Radar as Possible Flight Risk?


Police say there's still no sign of missing 2-year-old Sky Metalwala, and his mother's account of what happened on the day he disappeared is becoming increasingly suspicious. (ABC News)

By CHRISTINA CARON (@cdcaron) and KATIE KINDELAN
Nov. 14, 2011

Washington police investigating the disappearance of 2-year-old Sky Metalwala said they are keeping an eye on the boy's mother in case she tries to leave the country.

Sky was last seen Nov. 6 while in the custody of his mother, Julia Biryukova, a Ukranian woman who emigrated from Russia when she was 12.

Police in Bellevue, Wash., have been openly skeptical of Biryukova's story that she was driving her two children to a hospital when she ran out of gas. She allegedly walked with her 4-year-old daughter to a gas station, but when she returned to her car Sky was gone.

"We're not comfortable calling her a person of interest or a suspect. So I suppose if she did intend to make travel plans it would be something we'd want to know about and discuss with her," Bellevue police Maj. Mike Johnson said today.

"It is something that's on our radar. We're watching for that," Johnson said.

The officer also did not rule out a theory that Biryukova, who is in a bitter custody battle with her husband Solomon, may be trying to smuggle her son out of the country.

"There's a lot of work going on to rule out possible theories of abduction, coercion, the element of custody battle between mom and dad, secreting him outside the country, all of these are viable theories," Johnson said.

Solomon Metalwala said today on "Good Morning America" he believes the boy's disappearance is related to a court decision granting him visitation rights.

In the week before Sky disappeared, the parents reached a tentative agreement that would allow Metalwala to have some visitation with the couple's two children. But two days later — and two days before she reported her son missing — Biryukova decided to pull out of the agreement, the Associated Press reported. In a letter sent by her attorney, Biryukova insisted that everyone at the mediation session had been against her and the settlement was unfair, according to Metalwala's divorce attorney, D. Michael Tomkins.

The father of the missing toddler has said several times he believes his wife, Biryukova, knows what happened to their 2-year-old son.

"She has had Sky for the last 10 months so I believe that she does know something," he said today on "Good Morning America."

A team of more than 300 people including volunteers, police and FBI agents have spent the past nine days searching for Sky, but to no avail.

Over the weekend Metalwala recruited volunteers who passed out fliers, and he has been talking to the media nearly daily pleading for help.

"I'm very blessed that I live in Washington where people are very nice and very grateful to help me," he told "GMA." "I do believe that my son is coming back home."

Biryukova has been speaking to police only through a criminal lawyer she hired following her son's disappearance. She has not responded to requests to speak to investigators voluntarily, Bellevue police Maj. Mike Johnson said at a news conference on Friday.

When asked to comment, Biryukova's attorney would only tell ABC News, "My office does not comment about ongoing investigations."

Metalwala, who has agreed to take two polygraph tests, again today denied he has any involvement in his son's disappearance.

"I don't know what happened," Metalwala said. "If I knew I wouldn't be here."

Biryukova has refused to be tested, telling investigators that she has been too disturbed to participate.

There has not yet been enough evidence to name Biryukova as a suspect, Johnson said, but more discrepancies are appearing in her story.

The car she says ran out of gas ran fine on Friday when police took it for a test drive. No gas was added before the test and no mechanical problem was found during the drive, according to police.

Police also say Biryukova never bought gas at the Northtowne Chevron Service she and her daughter walked to on Sunday but, instead, spent time walking around a wealthy neighborhood where she reportedly didn't ask anyone for help.

Both Metalwala and Biryukova were cited for reckless endangerment in a December 2009 incident in which a then 3-month-old Sky was left in the family's SUV in a Target parking lot for 55 minutes on a 27-degree day, court records showed.

The case was dismissed earlier this year after the pair completed a year of probation, 40 hours of community service and a 10-week parenting class.

Police have received more than 900 tips so far about the missing toddler, but none of them have resulting in any solid leads. Even so, investigators are encouraging the public to continue coming forward.

"I want to stress the importance of every possible piece of information that's out there. We would really like people to err on the side of reporting information," Johnson said.

Anyone who sees a child matching this description is asked to call 911 immediately. Police are urging anyone who might have traveled along 112th Ave N.E., between I-520 and NE 24th Ave N.E., Sunday morning between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. to call Bellevue, Wash., police at 425-452-2564 or email [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

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November 15, 2011 12:02 PM

Was mom of missing toddler Sky Metalwala seeking 'sugar daddy'?

By Casey Glynn

(CBS/KIRO/AP) SEATTLE, Wash. - Detectives are gathering information from an internet dating profile that may have been created by the mother of missing Washington toddler Sky Metalwala and says she was seeking a "sugar daddy."

Police contacted Brandon Wade, owner of the website seekingarrangement.com, last week asking for information about Julia Biryukova, reports CBS affiliate KIRO. The site, which connects men and women interested in a paid arrangement, says it's "The elite sugar daddy dating site for those seeking mutually beneficial relationships."

The profile was created by someone identifying herself as "JB" who describes herself as a "happy, single, loving Christian and mommy of two beautiful babies," KIRO reports. The free profile required no proof of identity.

The profile says "JB" expects "US$3,001 - $5,000 monthly."

Wade said he can't say for sure if the account was created by Biryukova, but said it was created using an Internet account in Washington. Wade told KIRO the account was created in late July and remained active until Oct. 26.

The profile page features nine photographs of Biryukova and describes her as 30-years-old, a non-smoker and non-drinker who can "speak fluent Russian, Ukrainian and English" and lives in Redmond. The last time JB accessed the account was October 26, Wade said.

Biryukova, 30, is a native of Ukraine. She moved to the United States as a child and has an apartment in Redmond. She and her husband Solomon Metalwala are involved in a divorce and child custody dispute.

Julia Biryukova told police her 2-year-old son, Sky Metalwala, vanished on Nov. 6 in Bellevue when she left him sleeping alone in her unlocked car after it ran out of gas. She said she and her 4-year-old daughter went to get gas and when they returned an hour later, the boy was gone.

Police said the car started and ran fine when they took it for a test drive. Investigators said they have been frustrated that Biryukova has not answered questions about discrepancies in her story. She has not agreed to a polygraph test, saying through her lawyer that she is too distraught to answer questions.

Police say they have received 900 tips about the missing boy and have hundreds of investigators working to find him, Fox News reports. Police have reportedly said they suspect foul play in the toddler's disappearance.

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SUGAR DADDY Website?? For REAL? Never knew such sites existed, well not saying I'm not surprised.. I would NEVER put myself out there like that not knowing what kind of sicko would actually pay her to get close to her kids... SICK! Next we will hear she somehow found someone to help her sneak her son out of the Country... or perhaps even planning a secret get away for herself and her daughter too!

Why no arrest in Sky Metalwala case?

by CHRIS DANIELS / KING 5 News
KING5.com

Posted on November 15, 2011 at 5:26 PM
Updated today at 5:58 PM

BELLEVUE – Police say Julia Biryukova admits abandoning her son at the side of the road, and likely committing a crime. So why hasn’t she been arrested?

“There may be a strategic reason why,” says UW Professor Mary Fan. The former federal prosecutor has watched the case closely. “You want to make sure you have a strong enough case. If you have someone out and about, you can follow them, see where they go. You have a missing child out there.”

It’s a tactic that has been used in the case involving missing Oregon seven-year-old Kyron Horman. He disappeared from his elementary school in June of 2010 and hasn’t been seen since.

“It seems, from an outsider’s perspective, that they’ve really focused on Terri Horman,” says Kyle Iboshi, a KGW-TV reporter who has covered the case. “Terri Horman is the boy’s stepmother, and was the last person to see him. They’ve looked into her background, her cell phone records, her interaction on social media, everything, and every move she made.”

Fan says if, like in Biryukova’s case, she was arrested, and brought in for questioning. “The target may lawyer up, invoke right to counsel. It complicates things, when you take someone into custody and all sorts of protections kick in.”

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist, who is not part of the investigation, agreed with the assessment, and says what Bellevue is doing is not out of the ordinary. “Sometimes you want more time to put your case together,” says Lindquist. “You might want to keep the person talking.”

Lindquist says, based on what we know right now, it is possible Biryukova could face felony or misdemeanor child abandonment charges.

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Solomon Metalwala visits with 4-year-old daughter

BELLEVUE —

Solomon Metalwala, the father of missing 2-year-old Sky Metalwala, met with the boy's 4-year-old sister Tuesday for the first time in 11 months.

According to Solomon Metalwala's attorney, he felt "blessed" after Child Protective Services allowed him to spend time at a restaurant with his daughter.

A restraining order has prevented Solomon Metalwala from seeing both his children since last December. He's trying to get that order lifted.

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Search for Sky moves to Issaquah as father seeks clues
by KING 5 News

Posted on November 16, 2011 at 10:55 AM
Updated today at 12:41 PM

BELLEVUE, Wash. – The father of a 2-year-old boy missing for 11 days was out again Wednesday, spreading the word in hopes of finding his son.

Sky Metalwala has been missing since November 6. His mother Julia Biryukova, told police her car ran out of gas in Bellevue. She left Sky alone in the car and went for help. When she returned an hour later, Sky was gone.

Police say all possible scenarios are still on the table. They have named no suspects or persons of interest. They say Biryukova hasn’t spoken with them since the night Sky vanished.

Sky’s father, Solomon Metalwala, and a group of volunteers were passing out leaflets in Issaquah Wednesday afternoon, starting at Costco.

Bellevue police canceled a Wednesday morning press conference, indicating they had no new information to release. They had been holding daily updates on the case since Sky’s disappearance.

The Bellevue Police Department is asking anyone with information to call the hotline at 425-452-2564. Police say even if you think your tip is insignificant, they want to hear from you.

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Bellevue police plan briefing on missing boy case
Posted by John de Leon on November 18, 2011 at 9:49 AM

Bellevue police have scheduled a briefing for 3:30 this afternoon to update the media on the investigation into the Nov. 6 disappearance of Sky Metalwala.

Police have been holding regular briefings on the case, although they did not hold briefings on Wednesday or Thursday. It’s unclear whether there are any new developments in the case, although some media outlets reported police yesterday apparently took a drive in the car in which the boy was reportedly last seen.

The case has baffled police from the start, as much because of the actions of Sky’s mother as the circumstances surrounding her son’s disappearance.

Julia Biryukova, a 30-year-old mother of two, told police she was driving Sky from their Redmond home to a Bellevue hospital on the morning of Nov. 6 because the boy was sick. She said the car ran out of gas in Bellevue, so she left the sleeping toddler in the unlocked car and walked with her 4-year-old daughter to a gas station.

When she returned, Sky was gone, she said.

An examination of the Acura Integra revealed there was still enough gas in the car “to run a significant distance,” according to Bellevue police Maj. Mike Johnson. The car, which belongs to Biryukova’s brother, also had no obvious mechanical defects, he said.

“We believe there’s something suspicious afoot here,” Johnson declared after the car was tested last week. “The story doesn’t add up.”

Police also questioned why Biryukova would leave Sky in the car, especially after she was cited, along with her husband, for leaving the boy in a car for nearly an hour in a store parking lot in 2009.

Looking for any clues to the disapperance, investigators even pored over an episode of the TV show “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which aired the night before Biryukova reported Sky missing. Johnson said there were similarities between the episode’s plot line and Biryukova’s version of events.

The episode centered on a young couple whose car is stolen on Halloween with their toddler son inside. The child’s body is eventually found buried and the husband and wife each individually confess to killing the baby. It later turned out the child died from natural causes and each parent confessed to killing the child to protect the other.

The show was reportedly one of Biryukova’s favorites.

Biryukova and her estranged husband, Solomon Metalwala, were involved in a contentious custody battle before hammering out a tentative agreement the week before Sky disappeared. The agreement would have allowed Metalwala to have visitation with Sky and their daughter, Maile, according to his attorney, Leslie Clay Terry III.

However, just days before Sky disappeared, Biryukova said she wanted to back out of the agreement, Terry said.

Earlier this week, police indicated they may shift the focus of the investigation from a missing persons case to a criminal case.

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By KATTI GRAY
Nov. 19, 2011

Police in Bellevue Wash. this week released new photos of a 2-year-boy who disappeared earlier this month, in hopes it will prompt more substantive leads and information.

Sky Metalwala has been missing since Nov. 6.

Mike Johnson, a spokesman for the police department in Bellevue, Wash., told KOMO, ABC's Seattle, Wash., affiliate station, that they released the additional photos because they more accurately depict what the mother and child looked like on the day Sky disappeared.

The new photos of the boy show him after a recent haircut.

Other additional pictures include surveillance photos of Sky's mother, Julia Biryukova, 30.

She is shown standing alone in a store, wearing the same gray sweat suit she wore on Nov. 6 when she told police that she left Sky Metalwala in her stalled, unlocked car for an hour while she walked a mile to buy fuel at a gas station.

When Biryukova returned, the boy was gone, she told police, who also said that Biryukova has refused their request to interview her regarding her child's disappearance.

At least for now, authorities have opted against arresting Biryukova for not cooperating with an investigation that has included searching the areas around his home and the locale where she said the boy vanished.

Police said Friday that they've checked all but a dozen of the roughly 1,200 tips that residents called in about the case but none have panned out.

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'Something of interest' found in search for missing Washington boy left in his mother's unlocked car
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:06 AM on 21st November 2011

Police searching for missing toddler Sky Metalwala have found what they describe as 'something of interest' in the case.
The items were found on Saturday at Watershed Park in Kirkland, over two weeks after the Washington boy was reported missing after being left alone in his mother's broken down car.
Investigators would not release further details about what items were found but said they were enough for police to call in a forensics team after an overnight search the heavily wooded area.
According to ABC affiliate KOMO-TV, police are not sure if the items are related to the case but have sent them in for analysis.
The items were found shortly after police released new photos of the toddler and his mother in effort to acquire more leads in the case.
Carla Iafrate of the Bellevue Police Department told the station: 'They found something of interest. We called out our CSI investigators, they showed up and looked at the items.'

Officer Iafrate confirmed rakes and shovels were used in the overnight search of Watershed Park. However, she asked speculation not be made based on the equipment, insisting it was 'standard' for any search and rescue.
'There’s a lot of leaves, it’s pretty wet and damp. There’s a lot of rabbit burrows, so the land is soft back there,' she said.
Police have had serious questions about Sky's mother, Julia Biryukova's, story that she left him alone in an unlocked car in Bellvue after running out of gas on November 6.


New photos: Pictures of Sky and his mother Julia Biryukova were released on Saturday with the hope of producing more leads


New lead: Police hunting for Sky found what they described as 'something of interest' on Saturday during a search at Watershed Park in Kirkland


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Police reportedly find 'items of interest' in search for missing Sky Metalwala

By Casey Glynn (CBS/KIRO) REDMOND, Wash. -

Police searching for missing Washington toddler Sky Metalwala say they found several "items of interest" while combing a Kirkland park over the weekend.

Police said Monday the evidence could be related to the two-year-old's disappearance and has been sent to a forensic lab for analysis, Fox News reports.

Police were led to Watershed Park by a tip they received late in the week, reports CBS affiliate KIRO. Despite over 1,000 tips reportedly received in the search for Sky, there have so far been no major breaks in the case.

Julia Biryukova told police her two-year-old son vanished Sunday in Bellevue, Wash. when she left him sleeping alone in her unlocked car after it ran out of gas. She said she and her four-year-old daughter went to get gas and when they returned an hour later, the boy was gone.

Police said the car started and ran fine when they took it for a test drive. Investigators said they have been frustrated that Biryukova has not answered questions about discrepancies in her story. She has not agreed to a polygraph test, saying through her lawyer that she is too distraught to answer questions.

Sky's disappearance came amid a bitter divorce and custody fight between Biryukova and the boy's father, Solomon Metalwala.

Solomon Metalwala and his lawyer, Clay Terry, said they want to establish a fund this week to offer a reward for information about the boy, KIRO reports.

"We hope that maybe we can raise enough money that somebody who knows something might be convinced that maybe it's a good time to move forward.

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Solomon Metalwala shares family history, details of wife's mental illness
by KING 5 News
KING5.com
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 10:56 PM
Updated yesterday at 11:01 PM
Related:
Custody documents claim missing boy's mom had dreams about strangling him.
Solomon Metalwala shares family history, details of wife's mental illness
by KING 5 News
KING5.com
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 10:56 PM
Updated yesterday at 11:01 PM

Custody documents claim missing boy's mom had dreams about strangling him.

But he admits to moments of despair.

"Saturday morning, I just woke up with a big burden on my shoulder," says Metalwala. "It was a hard morning."

"This is a funny situation," he says. "I saw Julia at a gas station. As you know, Julia is very pretty. So I just gave her one of my cards, and she called me."

About ten years later, Metalwala says he started noticing her symptoms of mental illness. In a court filing obtained by KING 5, Metalwala claimed "Julia was like a prisoner who locked herself into a cell block. She began to have dreams about killing our children, even telling me of her dreams of strangling our youngest child."

More court documents show while Julia was involuntarily committed, doctors claimed she had a low GAF of global assessment of functioning scale, just a 15 on a scale of 1 to 100.

According to the University of Washington, that number means a person is in danger of hurting themselves or others.
Metalwala says her illness would come and go. When we asked about the surveillance photos of Julia, taken before Sky disappeared, he says he noticed how different she looked in the photos compared to those posted on social media websites.

"I've seen that look before," Metalwala says. "That's the time we begged her to get help."

Metalwala is asking the public for a day of prayer for this Sunday, November 27th. He wants people not only to pray for Sky, but for missing children across the country.

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