Police unveiled a new set of photos of a missing Redmond boy and his mother that investigators hope will jog the memories of people who may have seen them.
Police obtained a number of photos from surveillance cameras of Julia Biryukova, the mother of missing 2-year-old Sky Metalwala. The photos depict Biryukova in a more disheveled light than previous images. She is seen in a grey sweatsuit, which police said she may have been wearing Nov. 6, the day the boy disappeared. New images of the boy show him with short brown hair. Police said these images are closer representations of what the mother and son currently look like.
Police say they are still trying to pin down the sequence of events that led to Sky Metalwala’s disappearance.
Biryukova told police her car ran out of gas that morning, as she was attempting to take the boy to the hospital. She left the car at the 2400 block of 112th Avenue Northeast with Sky still in the car. When she returned to the car approximately an hour later, he was gone.
Bellevue police Maj. Mike Johnson said police have narrowed the investigation from earlier claims that no one had seen the boy in two weeks. He would not disclose when someone last saw the boy.
The focus of the investigation has not strayed throughout the process. Police have conducted multiple interviews with people involved. They thoroughly searched and researched the area where the boy disappeared and spots near Biryukova’s Redmond home. They’ve examined and returned the Acura Integra Biryukova borrowed from her brother to take the boy to the hospital. Johnson said the investigation has “taken us around the globe,” but police believe the key to the investigation lies in this area.
The boy’s father, Solomon Metalwala, has also continued to search for Sky.
Johnson continued to show police’s frustration with Biryukova, who still has not met with investigators since the night the boy disappeared. Johnson said many holes remain in her story. They’ve continued to reach out to her, but haven’t decided to arrest her.
“It’s a tactical, strategic, legal decision that is something we are considering, but not something we are willing to pull the trigger on yet,” Johnson said.
Police have now received more than 1,200 tips from the public. Investigators have combed through all but approximately 25 of those tips. Johnson reiterated the importance of all tips, even those that could seem innocuous.
“We encourage everyone who may have information to contact our tip line,” Johnson said. “Don’t wonder whether or not your information is relevant, let us make that decision.”
Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to contact police using the tip line at (425) 452-2564 or email Pdtipline@bellevuewa.gov.
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