Police locate Israeli mother and daughter in Argentina, a week after they vanished in Vienna

Police announced Friday night that they had located Mali and Liel Yahalomi, who were last seen a week ago in Vienna, and whose disappearance set off a flurry of speculation and rumors and a major international investigation.

The mother and daughter were found in Argentina. Police published footage showing officers, among them representatives from Israel and Interpol, boarding a bus in the country and introducing themselves to the Yahalomis, who appeared confused by the situation, but unharmed.

It was not immediately clear why the two cut contact with their family last Friday in Vienna, or why they flew to Argentina without telling anyone. Hebrew media reports quoted police sources saying they had left Israel and made their way to Argentina to disappear and “start a new life.”

Reports on Saturday evening quoted police sources saying they were planning to obtain fake passports with new identities, and denying that they had fled Israel because of debts.

Responding to the police announcement, their family in Israel, in a statement, expressed “tremendous relief that Mali and Liel have been found alive” and thanked those involved in helping locate them. Relatives said that money raised to help search for them — a reported NIS 260,000 (some $90,000) — would be returned.

In the video, the Israeli official introduces himself as a representative of the Israel Police. “I’d like to ask you a few questions,” he says. “We were very worried about you.”

The two were briefly questioned and told they were free to go, as there was no suspicion of criminal wrongdoing.

A police source told Ynet that intelligence on the pair’s location was received several hours before they were approached on the bus.

מלי וליאל יהלומי, שעקבותיהן אבדו באוסטריה (והודעת הרשויות שעזבו מרצונן), אותרו לפני זמן קצר ברכב הסעות בארגנטינה על ידי האינטרפול ונציג של משטרת ישראל בדרום אמריקה. כך זה נראה בתיעוד שמפיצה הלילה דוברות המשטרה. pic.twitter.com/l1WOlsPO82

— איתי בלומנטל ???????? Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) August 14, 2026

Austrian media reported that the two had traveled from Vienna to Germany, and from there flew to Argentina, changing their mobile phones along the way.

The Yahalomis’ disappearance captivated the nation, with rampant speculation about the cause, including terrorism, abduction, and even an elaborate embezzlement scheme. Shares in the Bank of Jerusalem, where Mali is employed, briefly dipped sharply on Thursday amid the spread of unsubstantiated rumors that she had taken vast sums from the bank before fleeing.

Earlier Friday, Vienna’s police department said it had established that the two left the country of their own volition, and there was “no indication of a violent crime.”

In a statement, police said that following “excellent cooperation” between Austrian law enforcement and Israeli authorities, “it has been determined that the two Israeli citizens –- mother and daughter –- who had been missing since August 7, 2026, left the Republic of Austria on their own. According to current findings, there is no indication of a violent crime.”

Israeli police officials had expressed cautious optimism earlier on Friday regarding the investigation. Channel 13 cited an unnamed police source as saying there was “optimism regarding the search” for the two, while Kan news said police had received “a positive indication” about the two.

They were apparently referring to the information that the two had been located in Argentina.

Israeli officials involved in the investigation had told multiple media outlets that it seemed less and less likely that the pair’s vanishing had to do with their nationality or their health. It was widely reported Friday that security camera footage obtained by local law enforcement showed the two leaving their place of accommodation in Vienna on August 8 with the belongings, apparently of their own volition and without anyone else.

While Israeli police had placed a gag order on the case, Hebrew media has continued reporting on it extensively.

In a public appeal on Friday, Mali’s siblings Moshe and Elinor said: “We want to thank all the people of Israel for the embrace and the support in this difficult time.

“We demand of all security and investigative officials to continue to check all scenarios, including the possibility of terrorism, until they are ruled out on the basis of evidence.”

Mali and Liel Yahalomi arrived in Vienna from Prague by train last week. Because the family does not use electronic devices on Shabbat, their relatives did not suspect anything was wrong until Sunday morning, when their text messages to the mother and daughter did not go through.

According to reports, the two did not keep their Friday night Shabbat dinner plans or pick up the food they had ordered from a kosher restaurant for Saturday.

Earlier this week, Israel’s embassy in Austria had requested that anyone with information on their whereabouts call +43 6763672304 or contact the local police, as investigations were launched into their disappearance in both Austria and Israel.