Yehalomi Case: Year-Long Plan to Disappear

The investigation revealed how Yahalomi financed the extended journey and stay abroad. Police sources indicate that more than a year ago, she withdrew her severance funds from her pension account, using that sum to fund the departure from Israel and the disappearance plan.

The combination of her senior position at Bank Yerushalayim (Bank of Jerusalem) and her sudden departure sparked a wave of false rumors and disinformation in recent days. These included unfounded allegations that she had been involved in massive embezzlement of bank funds. Such reports even led to a sharp drop in the bank's stock value on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange last weekend.

For this reason, law enforcement officials consider it a top public priority to clarify the facts and clear her name of these criminal suspicions. As previously reported, Israel Police's representative in South America, Deputy Commissioner Walter Kogan, located the two in Buenos Aires last Friday.

The investigation also revealed that daughter Liel was aware of the plan from the beginning, cooperated with her mother, and agreed to join her in planning and executing the journey. Cell phone correspondence between mother and daughter showed that Liel joined the plan of her own free will, writing to her mother: "I will go with you anywhere."

The pair were ultimately located last Friday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, following determined efforts by Israel Police's representative in South America. They were found sitting on an intercity bus, and it has now emerged that their original destination was Bolivia.

Sources involved in the investigation note that Buenos Aires served merely as a transit point for landing purposes. Yahalomi had examined a range of different countries across South America well in advance, seeking the ideal destination where the two could disappear permanently without being traced.

The investigation uncovered that the pair carried out well-planned actions designed to make tracking them difficult. They deleted applications from their cell phones and took additional steps intended to prevent surveillance. Investigators found they had used the Gemini AI application to ask questions that may have been related to planning their route and journey.

According to assessments, Mali traveled abroad several times previously to scout the terrain and prepare for the escape plan. Police believe someone may have even coached the pair along the way, though this detail is still under investigation.

Deputy Commissioner Walter Kogan, Israel Police's representative in South America, shared the dramatic moments of locating the two. "They were certain we wouldn't catch them and wouldn't find them," Kogan said of the pair, who had been declared missing in Vienna, Austria.

The officer described the enormous relief he felt when he located the two last Friday, healthy and safe, after a week of intensive intelligence and operational efforts involving hundreds of investigators worldwide. The investigation involved two units with different and complementary capabilities—one search team in the Vienna area and another in Israel, at Lahav 433 (Israel's national investigative unit).

After being questioned by Argentine police representatives in the presence of the Israeli police representative in South America, they were released because no suspicion of criminal activity arose. A transcript released from the initial questioning revealed a brief exchange between the Argentine officer and the pair, in which they responded: "We just want to disconnect from the family, from the country."