Police confirm missing person Eldar Dayan found dead near Petah Tikva

Police confirmed on Thursday that a body found earlier in the day near the Yarkon Interchange was that of Eldar Dayan, a 23-year-old Dimona resident who had been missing for nearly three weeks.The body, which was in an advanced state of decomposition, was discovered in an open area during police searches for Dayan. It was transferred to the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir for identification and an examination of the circumstances of death.Police had not, by press time, announced the cause of death or said whether there was evidence that Dayan had been the victim of a criminal act.The investigation was transferred from the Dimona Police Station to the Central District, with the Sharon District Central Unit taking the lead after police said the searches and investigative avenues pursued by the Dimona station had been exhausted.Body found in Petah Tikvah after lengthy searchThursday's searches were conducted by the Sharon Central Unit together with Petah Tikva police, Border Police officers, and volunteers.Before the identification was completed, Dayan's family said it had learned that a body had been found through media reports rather than directly from police.Attorney Sapir Pardo, who represents the family, criticized the handling of the notification and said the family would wait for the forensic examination before drawing conclusions. Police did not address the family's criticism in their statement.Dayan traveled to central Israel with two friends in mid-July. Police initially appealed for information after saying he had last been seen near Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park on July 17. Surveillance footage released later showed him at a gas station in the Petah Tikva area on July 18, shortly before contact with him was lost.Before he disappeared, Dayan sent messages to his girlfriend indicating that there had been some kind of disturbance and that he would speak to her later. His phone was subsequently switched off, and his family said he had not contacted them or his girlfriend since.Investigators later located a damaged vehicle that had been abandoned in the Petah Tikva area. The vehicle had a broken windshield, and blood traces were found inside.Police examined whether the vehicle had been involved in a hit-and-run or another vehicle incident following an altercation involving Dayan and his companions. That possibility remained an investigative theory and had not been established.Two of Dayan's friends were arrested after investigators said they had provided conflicting accounts of the events surrounding his disappearance. Their detention was extended on suspicion of obstructing the investigation and conspiracy to commit a crime.