ZAKA: All that remained were bones

Chief of divers: Rose's skeleton was in a soft bag, thus holes developed during the months underwater.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
little rose 248.88 (photo credit: Israel Police)
little rose 248.88
(photo credit: Israel Police)
All that remained of Rose Pizem's body by the time it was discovered were bones; her flesh had been eaten by fish in the Yarkon River, who got to it through holes in the soft red bag she was thrown in after being murdered. So said Haim Otzmagin, chief of divers for ZAKA, the volunteer rescue organization that helped look for the murdered child. "We are called in for diving about 20 times a year - people who drowned accidentally. This was the first case in which someone was intentionally thrown into the water," said Otzmagin, whose team of five or six divers were first alerted to the case on August 20. It took a week before his team were able to dive, as the water - while not contaminated - is filthy, with a lot of mud and junk. "One can't see anything in the water, but only feel around," Otzmagin said. The depth of the river - which is more like a murky stream - ranges from three to six meters. Rose's skeleton was found in a soft bag - not a sturdy suitcase as had been reported in the press, he said. Thus holes developed during the months underwater, giving fish the chance to eat her flesh. The police carefully took the skeleton to the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir to identify the remains. Otzmagin said that after the news was released that Rose's remains were found, the public felt a feeling of relief - and fury. "When we drove around and stopped at red lights, other drivers honked their horns in support as they saw the sign: ZAKA diver unit. They knew we had found her with help from the Galei Yam company, which has expertise in underwater work." The chief diver said he couldn't explain how such a horrible crime could happen. "It is beyond logic - a sick mind. It can never be explained," said Otzmagin. The autopsy and identification of the skeleton using genetic techniques will take a few days. A multidisciplinary team of experts will be involved. The institute has not yet received permission to start an autopsy, as the grandfather and mother's lawyer has requested that a representative of theirs be present during the procedure.