The Baffling Disappearance of Sky Metalwala

The early morning of November 6, 2011, was cold and dry in Bellevue, WA. Temperatures hovered around 39 degrees Fahrenheit and the normal Washington rain was nowhere to be seen. 112th St NE parallels State Route 520 near where it meets Interstate 405. A tall concrete sound barrier lines each side of the road making it appear more like a highway itself than a large suburban thoroughfare.

At around the 2600 block, a silver, two-door Acura Integra sits on the side of the road. Traffic was sparse, but for those who drove by nothing seemed off. It simply looked like a car that had broken down. But, this car would go on to be the planet on which the investigation of the disappearance of Sky Metalwala would revolve.

According to his mother, Julia Biryukova, she, Sky, and Sky's four-year-old sister were headed from their home in Redmond, WA—also a suburb of Seattle and to the east of Bellevue—to Overlake Medical Center because Sky was sick. On the way—and just over one mile from the hospital— Biryukova purports that she ran out of gas.

She and Sky's older sister supposedly got out of the car and walked to a gas station about a mile north of the car for help. Biryukova claims to have left Sky alone in the backseat of the car and strapped into his car seat.

If true, this would not be the first time Sky had been left alone in a car. Two years before when Sky was two months old, his parents were arrested for reckless endangerment after leaving him in the car in a Target parking lot in below-freezing temperatures. The charges were eventually dropped after the parents agreed to take parenting classes.

Months after this incident, Biryukova was committed to a mental hospital and diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), though she would later deny that she received this diagnosis. After being released, her husband and the children's father—Solomon Metalwala—filed for divorce from Biryukova. This set off a custody battle that was still ongoing at the time of Sky's disappearance.

Family Background

Sky Metalwala's parents are both immigrants. His father Solomon Metalwala is from Pakistan and his mother Julia Biryukova is originally from Ukraine (then Soviet Russia). The two met when Biryukova was still in high school and Solomon was running a convenience store in Bellevue.

When Biryukova graduated high school and became naturalized, the two moved in together in 1999. They later married in 2003. While there are rumors that the wedding was rushed because Solomon was facing deportation, this has never been independently confirmed.

Their first child, Sky's older sister, was born in 2007. Sky followed two years later in 2010. Between their marriage and the birth of their daughter, the two had faced financial issues, worsened by the 2008 recession. By the time of Sky's birth, the couple was facing potential foreclosure on their properties and were forced to move into their smaller Bellevue condo.

Solomon claims that Biryukova had shown signs of mental illness throughout their relationship, and Biryukova claims that Solomon was controlling. Biryukova was committed for the first time soon after Sky's birth. She sent texts to Solomon claiming to be suicidal. While she claimed to have done this for attention from her husband, this—along with Biryukova's other mental instabilities—prompted him to file for divorce and seek custody of their children.

During the divorce process, Biryukova alleged that Solomon had abused both her and the children, including hitting the children with a wooden spoon. She also made domestic abuse allegations which were supposedly backed up by witness statements (though this does not appear to be publicly available). These allegations were made by both Biryukova and their young daughter whose statements were witnessed and later recorded by a local pastor.

Earlier in their relationship, the couple argued loudly at a gas station and had the cops called on them. However, no arrests were made or charges filed. However, volatility in the relationship was corroborated by both parties and other witnesses.

Initially, in September 2010, full custody was awarded to Biryukova who kept the children from seeing Solomon Metalwala. Just three days before Sky's disappearance, the two had entered into a seemingly successful mediation session which allowed Solomon full visitation. Following the disappearance, Sky's older sister was placed into foster care, and Solomon was granted the divorce two months later. Solomon was eventually granted custody of his daughter.

Initial Investigation

On the morning of Sky's disappearance, Bellevue police and searchers canvassed a 20-block radius around where the car had been left. Police quickly questioned Biryukova's account, particularly because her car was found to have gas and to be in proper working order. Therefore, this cast doubt on Biryukova's account and led to her and the family being further investigated.

Biryukova chose not to formally speak to police or take a lie detector test citing her Fifth Amendment rights. Over ten years after Sky's disappearance, Biryukova has still not spoken to Bellevue police. She did grant permission to search her car and apartment where no trace of Sky was found.

In contrast to Sky's mother's interactions with police, Solomon did take a lie detector test and allowed authorities to search his home. He also became the face of the investigation to the media. Both parents have admitted to leaving the children by themselves for significant periods of time, in accordance with the 2009 arrest at Target. Biryukova, in particular, appeared to have left the children alone multiple times.

As police expanded their investigation, they determined that the only independently confirmable record of Sky being seen alive and well was a doctor's appointment in April 2011. Neighbors of Biryukova and the children noted that they rarely went out and none of them had seen Sky for at least two weeks. While the doctor's appointment was the last record of Sky, it appears that police and most who research the case believe he went missing closer to the time of the reported disappearance.

Sky's older sister was also questioned. As a four-year-old, her testimony came with a certain level of unreliability—partially because she may not fully understand the events and because children that young are very influenceable. Regardless, Sky's sister confirmed that Sky was in the car that morning. Again, this—and all other statements made by the eldest Metalwala, including the abuse allegations—were not taken at face value and further investigated.

Law & Order: SVU

The night of/before Sky's disappearance, a two-week-old episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was aired as a re-run in the Seattle area. The episode titled "Missing Pieces" detailed the kidnapping of a child during a car theft. The crux of the episode comes when it is revealed that the boy's parents buried him, believing they had accidentally killed him, and used the kidnapping as a cover-up.

This is only circumstantial evidence. But, it's odd. There is no proof that anyone in Sky's family watched the re-run of this episode, but this fact has been intertwined with the case and many believe it served as the inspiration for the cover-up of Sky's disappearance.

Since 2011

No one has been arrested in the disappearance of Sky Metalwala. While many question why Biryukova was never arrested despite having been proven to have lied to the police in her initial statement. However, the decision not to arrest Biryukova does not have to do with lack of probable cause, but there is not enough to confidently convict. Therefore, by not arresting her, this avoids being unable to charge her if new evidence came to light after she was acquitted (aka avoiding the consequences of double jeopardy). Solomon's lawyer also told Seattle Weekly that Biryukova and her legal team would get to review all evidence against her if she were arrested.

As frustrating as it is not to have answers, investigators continue to run down leads. Sky would now be a teenager and would turn 15 later this year. He would look immensely different from the doe-eyed toddler supposedly kidnapped from his mother's car. An aged progressed photo of Sky to the age of 5 has been released to aid in potential identification.

Theories

There are countless theories about what truly happened that early morning in 2011. Many believe that Sky was never in the car and that his mother was covering for herself or another family member. Though, the possibility that Sky was abducted by a third party cannot be fully ruled out.

The custody battle—most appear to believe—had something to do with the case. However, the oldest daughter remained unharmed. The circumstances surrounding his disappearance seem plagued with potential red herrings. The 2009 arrest may be irrelevant. The custody battle may simply have run concurrently. Perhaps Biryukova did truly believe she ran out of gas that night.

However, with so little true evidence in the case, even identifying the true circumstances of Sky's disappearance is difficult. Solomon has presented the theory that Biryukova's father—who had come to visit in the weeks before the disappearance—took Sky back to Ukraine. This seems just as viable as any other theory.

Whether Sky is alive or not is another question often discussed. Like with most missing persons cases, the longer a person is missing, the less likely they are to be recovered alive. But, it does happen. Kidnapping victims have gone decades—some not even knowing they were kidnapped—before the truth comes to light. This very may well happen in Sky's case, especially since he was so young. It is possible is out there somewhere in the world with no idea that he is a missing person.

Unfortunately, these outcomes are rare. But with no evidence, either way, hope can prevail.

Sky Metalwala was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black and aqua sweatpants, and white socks. If you have any information concerning the disappearance of Sky Metalwala in 2011, contact Detective Trenton Chapel at the Bellevue Police Department. You can also reach out to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound if you would like to stay anonymous.

Sources:

Seattle Weekly News

Seattle Times

Kirkland Reporter

NBC News

Los Angeles Times

King 5 News

National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS)

Wikipedia