Where is Hymanut?
After Two Years: Massive Breakthrough in Case of Missing Girl Hymanut Kassau
Authorities are examining possible links between a recent Be’er Sheva kidnapping attempt and the disappearance of Hymanut Kassau, as the suspect remains in custody.
The detention of a suspect arrested over an attempted kidnapping in Be’er Sheva has been extended by six days. Israeli police say the suspect is also being investigated for possible involvement in the disappearance of Hymanut Kassau, a young girl who went missing from the northern city of Safed two years ago, and whose case has horrified Isrealis. The suspect denies all allegations.
The court approved the extension of the suspect’s custody on Wednesday, as investigators examine a potential connection between the recent Be’er Sheva incident and the still-unsolved Kassau case.
Earlier on Wednesday, the girl who was attacked in Be’er Sheva described the incident in a chilling reconstruction. According to her testimony, the suspect entered her home under the pretense of being a family acquaintance.
“He knocked on the door, came in, drank something, and went to the bathroom,” she said. “When he came back, he told me, ‘Come, I want to tell you something.’ Then he touched me, hugged me, and grabbed my hand tightly so I couldn’t leave.”
Despite the fear, the girl managed to escape. “I was able to pull my hand away and get out. I screamed loudly and ran out of the house. I went to a neighbor, and she immediately called the police,” she said.
The girl said the suspect was known to the family. “I know him. He’s a friend of my father, who is currently in Ethiopia. He was with us in Safed,” she explained. “Everyone knows him, and he was always considered a nice guy. He never behaved this way toward us before.”
The girl’s mother, who was at work at the time of the incident, expressed deep concern for her daughters’ safety. “I’m afraid this could happen again,” she said. “This wasn’t the first time he came to our door. He knocked last Thursday and again on Monday.”
Investigators are now focusing on the fact that the suspect and the family had previously lived together in Safed, the same city where Hymanut Kassau disappeared approximately two years ago. Police are examining whether similarities in behavior patterns and the suspect’s familiarity with the local community could link him to the earlier case.
Police emphasized that all investigative avenues remain open and that intensive efforts are underway to determine the suspect’s motives and whether he was involved in additional incidents.