Two friends of missing Dimona resident Eldar Dayan remain in custody as police investigate both his disappearance and a possible criminal incident involving a damaged vehicle abandoned in Petah Tikva.
Police are examining several possibilities, including that Dayan was abducted or that he disappeared after becoming involved in a suspected hit-and-run. Investigators have not publicly determined what happened to him or located a person allegedly injured in the suspected collision.
The Beersheba Magistrate’s Court extended the detention of Omri Peretz and Maksim Braverman by six days on Tuesday, until August 2. The two are suspected of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit a felony.
The men were initially questioned as witnesses but were arrested after investigators identified contradictions between their accounts and other evidence collected in the case. Police said the two had been seen with Dayan in the Petah Tikva area on July 18.
Dayan, 23, was initially reported to have last been seen near Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv on July 17. Before contact with him was lost, he sent a WhatsApp message saying there was “trouble” and that he intended to return home. His telephone has since been unavailable, according to his family.
Vehicle connected to group found in Petah Tikva
A vehicle connected to the group was found abandoned near a gas station in Petah Tikva with a shattered window and apparent bloodstains. Police are investigating whether the damage and forensic findings are connected to an altercation, a suspected collision, or subsequent efforts to conceal what occurred.
The two detainees provided conflicting accounts of the hours preceding Dayan’s disappearance. One described an altercation after which the vehicle’s window was broken, and the group fled, while the other denied taking part in the alleged fight or traveling in the same vehicle.
Police told the court that the investigation includes suspicions of a hit-and-run and abandoning an injured person. At the same time, investigators are examining the possibility that Dayan was abducted in connection with a criminal incident. Police have stressed that the investigation remains in an early stage and that the circumstances have not been established.
Dayan’s mother, Shilat Naim, said investigators had told members of the family that they believed he was alive, although police have not publicly disclosed the basis for that assessment. She said the family remained concerned that someone might be holding him.