A central Israeli court has extended the detention of a 63-year-old resident of Be’er Sheva amid growing suspicions that he may be connected to one of the country’s most troubling missing-person cases in recent years: the disappearance of nine-year-old Haymanut Kasau. The decision marks a significant development in an investigation that has spanned more than 661 days and has deeply affected the public consciousness.
While authorities continue to withhold many details under a sweeping gag order, the court’s finding that there is “reasonable suspicion” linking the suspect to both a recent attempted child abduction and Kasau’s disappearance has intensified scrutiny of the case and renewed national attention on unanswered questions surrounding the girl’s fate.
Kasau vanished on February 25, 2024, from an immigration absorption center in the northern city of Safed, where she was living with her family. Since then, police searches, appeals from her family, and sporadic investigative updates have failed to produce definitive answers. The recent arrest, triggered by an alleged attempted kidnapping in Be’er Sheva, has now drawn the two cases together in the eyes of investigators and the judiciary, setting the stage for what could be a pivotal phase in the long-running inquiry.
Court Ruling and Expansion of Suspicion
On Wednesday, Judge Dorit Saban-Noy ordered that the suspect remain in custody for an additional six days, citing concerns that he could interfere with the investigation if released. In her ruling, the judge stated that a reasonable suspicion connects the man to both the attempted abduction in Be’er Sheva and the earlier disappearance of Haymanut Kasau. This language, while falling short of formal charges, reflects a threshold determination that investigators have presented sufficient preliminary evidence to justify continued detention and intensive questioning.
The alleged attempted abduction occurred earlier this week in Be’er Sheva and involved a young girl who, like Kasau, had previously lived in Safed. According to police and media reports, the suspect entered the girl’s home and attempted to lure her outside. The girl managed to escape after screaming, and the incident was captured by a neighbor’s security camera. The footage, widely circulated on social media before being restricted, became a central piece of evidence prompting the man’s arrest.
Prosecutors argued that the similarities between the two cases, including the suspect’s prior familiarity with both families and the shared connection to the Safed immigration center, warranted treating the attempted kidnapping as potentially linked to Kasau’s disappearance. The court agreed that these factors, taken together, justified extending the remand while investigators explore possible connections. At the same time, authorities emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing and that no final conclusions have been reached.
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The suspect has denied wrongdoing and presented an alibi during questioning. He told police that at the time of Kasau’s disappearance, he was no longer residing at the immigration center in Safed, having moved to Be’er Sheva. He explained that he initially arrived in Israel years ago and stayed at the Safed center with other Ethiopian families before relocating with his own family to Be’er Sheva in 2022. Investigators are now examining records, witness statements, and potential inconsistencies to assess the credibility of this account.
Background of the Kasau Disappearance
Haymanut Kasau was nine years old when she disappeared from the immigration center on Tzahal Street in Safed, a facility that houses new immigrants and asylum seekers. On the day she went missing, she was last seen within the premises of the center. Despite extensive searches and police efforts, no confirmed sightings or conclusive leads have emerged since that day.
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Her disappearance has been particularly painful for the Ethiopian-Israeli community, many of whom reside in or passed through the Safed center. Community members have repeatedly expressed frustration over what they perceive as a lack of urgency and sustained public attention in the early stages of the case. As days turned into months, and months into years, the absence of concrete information fueled speculation, fear, and a lingering sense of unresolved injustice.
Earlier this week, Police Commissioner Danny Levy announced that responsibility for the investigation had been transferred to Lahav 433, Israel Police’s elite national crime unit. Lahav 433 typically handles complex, high-profile cases involving serious crime, corruption, or organized networks. While police have not disclosed the specific reasons for the transfer, the move itself has been widely interpreted as an acknowledgment of the case’s complexity and sensitivity, as well as a signal that authorities are pursuing new investigative avenues.
The timing of the transfer, coming just days before the suspect’s detention was extended, has further underscored the sense that the investigation has entered a new phase. For Kasau’s family, who have lived with uncertainty for more than 661 days, the developments have brought a mixture of cautious hope and renewed anguish. Police have not publicly outlined the evidence linking the suspect to Haymanut’s disappearance, but the court’s decision suggests that investigators believe the connection merits serious consideration.
Alleged Attempted Abduction and Community Response
The attempted abduction in Be’er Sheva has provided investigators with both a concrete incident and firsthand testimony. The girl involved told reporters that the suspect is a friend of her father and that she knew him from Safed, saying “everyone knows him.” According to her account, the man knocked on her door, entered the home, drank water, and used the bathroom before asking her to come with him. When he hugged her and grabbed her hand, she fled the house screaming. Her escape, captured on surveillance footage, prompted immediate police involvement and ultimately led to the suspect’s arrest.
In his police interrogation, the suspect acknowledged entering the home and said he knew the girl and her family well, describing the girl’s father as “like a brother.” He maintained that his visit was innocent and denied any intent to abduct her. The girl confirmed that her father was in Ethiopia at the time and that her mother was at work, circumstances that investigators are examining as part of their assessment of the incident.
Kasau’s family has confirmed that they know the suspect and his family, adding another layer of complexity to the case. In Safed, neighbors and community members have spoken publicly about their reaction to the arrest. One neighbor, Leviah, said that while the detention brings some sense of relief, it also highlights how much time has passed without answers. She expressed hope that Haymanut is still alive and urged authorities to pursue every possible line of inquiry, emphasizing that the disappearance of a child should never be met with indifference.
The suspect’s attorneys, Ran Alon and Awaka Zana, have pushed back against what they describe as exaggerated allegations. Citing the gag order imposed by the court, they declined to discuss the evidence but described their client as a normal man with no criminal record. They argued that the situation has been blown out of proportion and expressed confidence that it would be resolved soon. Their statements reflect a defense strategy focused on undermining the notion of a broader pattern of behavior linking the two cases.
As the investigation continues under heightened secrecy, public debate has intensified around issues of child safety, community trust, and the responsibilities of law enforcement in missing-person cases. The involvement of Lahav 433 and the court’s firm stance on detention have reassured some that authorities are taking the matter seriously, even as many questions remain unanswered. For now, the fate of Haymanut Kasau is still unknown, but the arrest of a suspect and the convergence of two troubling incidents have ensured that her case is once again at the forefront of national attention.