BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Investigators searched dumpsters Monday around the home where a 2-year-old boy lived with his mother, who claims the toddler disappeared from her unlocked car when she ran out of gas.
Bellevue police said there are many unanswered questions regarding 2-year-old Sky Metalawa's disappearance. The FBI is also assisting in investigating the case.
Monday evening, Sky's father, Solomon Metewala, took a polygraph test that came back inconclusive. His lawyer says Solomon was too tired to give an accurate result and will take another test Tuesday to clear his name.
Solomon Metewala said he has not seen his son in nearly a year due to a custody dispute with his ex-wife, Julia Biryukova, Sky's mother.
Biryukova told police on Sunday morning she took her 4-year-old daughter with her and left Sky in the car in the 2400 block of 112th Ave N.E. When she came back about an hour later, she said Sky was gone. Investigators said the boy's car seat was still in the car and there were no signs of forced entry.
Search teams went door-to-door and combed an area roughly 20 city blocks long on Sunday, Bellevue police said. Police suspended the search in the wooded residential neighborhood around 6 p.m., but continued to follow up on other leads, including questioning the mother at headquarters.
"Search and rescue is confident that the child is nowhere in this area," said Carla Iafrate, Bellevue police.
The North Towne Chevron, a little less than a mile from the scene, said the woman called a friend from the gas station to come get her.
Iafrate said at least one of the car doors was unlocked, and that the vehicle started when they tested it, but cautioned that that was possible for a car that has been sitting for some time.
Complicating matters is a prior incident at the Redmond Target store two years ago, where the parents left the same child, then just a baby, sleeping in his car seat as the two shopped. An onlooker called police. Sky was left alone for nearly an hour.
The boy's father admits it was a stupid mistake and can't imagine how his ex could have done it again.
“Why is Julia out here at 8:50 a.m., especially in Bellevue, she lives all the way in Redmond. She has done something. I don't know what she has done,” Solomon Metewala said.
Bellevue police would not comment on whether the parents' background was pertinent to this case, but said they are keeping all scenarios on the table.
"Right now we don't know. We can only go off what the mother told us," said Iafrate. "But we're going to search beyond that, and since we can't find the child right here in this area, we're going to be asking other questions."
Police would like to hear from anyone that may have travelled along 112th Ave N.E., between SR 520 and NE 24th Ave N.E., Sunday morning between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.
The missing boy is half Asian Indian and half Caucasian, 2-foot-2 and 39 pounds with brown eyes, a dark buzzcut hair and was last seen wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and black and aqua blue sweatpants and white socks.
The car is a silver, 1998 Acura Integra three-door coupe.
Anyone who saw these people or this vehicle on November 6 is asked to call (425) 452-2564 or email pdtipline@bellevuewa.gov
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