Bellevue police: Sky Metalwala's mother is lying about his disappearance

SEATTLE -- Sunday will mark five years since 2-year-old Sky Metalwala vanished from his mother’s care in Bellevue.

Julia Biryukova has lived under a cloud of suspicion in her son’s disappearance, but to this day she has never been arrested or charged with a crime. She has refused to speak with investigators or the press.

On Nov. 6, 2011, Biryukova told police her car had run out of gas along the side of a road in Bellevue. She said Sky disappeared after she left him in the backseat of the car to go get help.

A forensic examination of the vehicle later determined that the gas tank was not empty and the car had no mechanical problems.

“Her story is inconsistent with the evidence that we do have,” Bellevue Police Chief Mylett said Friday in an interview with Q13 News This Morning. “Her statements to police at the time that she reported Sky missing were not supported by the evidence and the facts as we know them.”



While Bellevue police have publicly questioned Biryukova’s version of events, the department had been hesitant to flat-out accuse her of lying.

On Friday, for the first time, Chief Mylett said he believes Biryukova lied to police about the circumstances surrounding her son’s disappearance.

“You know what? I’m going to go there,” he said. “Yeah, I do think she was not telling the truth to our investigators. Whatever the motivation was at the time, we need to go back and find out what exactly happened.”

Chief Mylett urged Biryukova to cooperate.

"Ms. Biryukova please contact the Bellevue Police Department to allow us the opportunity to help find your son," Chief Mylett wrote in a statement. "We are more than willing to work with you and your attorney to identify a convenient time and location to discuss Sky’s disappearance. I am convinced you hold the key to finding Sky. The employees of the Bellevue Police Department will not stop searching for Sky, but I cannot emphasize enough the role you play in successfully locating your little boy."

To date, Bellevue police, with assistance from the FBI and the Redmond Police Department, have pursued more than 2,500 tips, dedicated 14,000 man hours, and spent more than $2 million dollars on the Sky Metalwala investigation.