Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos

Irina Malezhik





Malezhik, date, approximate 2007; Dmitriy Yakovlev; Julia Yakovlev
Date Missing 10/15/2007
Missing From
Brooklyn, New York
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Age 47 years old
Height and Weight 5'2, 110 pounds
Clothing/Jewelry Description A dark-colored casual jacket. Carrying a makeup bag.
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair. Malezhik was born in Ukraine and speaks Russian and English. Her ears are pierced.
Details of Disappearance Malezhik was last seen walking out the lobby of her apartment building the 400 block of Corbin Place in the New York City borough of Brooklyn at 1:00 p.m. on October 15, 2007. She has never been heard from again. A friend reported her missing on November 8. She left all her belongings and identification behind at home.
The day after Malezhik's disappearance, four checks signed with her name were deposited in the joint bank account of Dmitriy and Julia Yakovlev. Authorities later determined Malezhik's signature had been forged. The Yakovlevs allegedly got a credit card in Malezhik's name the day after the checks were deposited.
In July 2009, they were charged with stealing Malezhik's identity and stealing more than $37,000 in bank withdrawals and credit card charges. Julia and Dmitriy allegedly used Malezhik's money to go on a shopping spree and bought, among other things, expensive matching wristwatches.
Prior to her disappearance, Malezhik told others she was expecting a call from someone she knew only as Dmitriy and that she was afraid. Dmitriy and Julia maintain their innocence and her ; they stated they didn't know her and theorized she had returned to her native Ukraine. Investigators could find no evidence that Malezhik left the United States, however.
Later, Dmitriy admitted he did in fact know Malezhik. He stated she had tutored him in English and he lent her money to buy furniture. Photos of both Julia and Dmitriy are posted with this summary. He is a native of Russia, where he trained as a surgeon.
In March 2010, Dmitry was additionally charged with Malezhik's murder. He was also charged in the death of Viktor Alekseyev, a jewelry importer whose dismembered body was found in New Jersey in January 2006. When police dug up the Yakovlevs' basement looking for Malezhik's body in 2009, they didn't find it but they did find some items that had belonged to Alekseyev.
The Yakovlevs are also suspects in the disappearance of Michael Klein, a New York Police Department employee who was also an identity theft victim. He went missing in 2003, shortly after selling his house, and has never been found. Photographs and vital statistics for Klein are unavailable.
Dmitry was charged with stealing his identity, but he has not been charged with anything directly related to his disappearance. Dmitry admitted to using Alekseyev's and Malezhik's credit cards, but he stated they owed him tens of thousands of dollars and had given him permission to use the cards as repayment for the debt.
Julia pleaded guilty to identity theft and credit card fraud in February 2011, just before her trial was scheduled. She maintains she had nothing to do with Malezhik's disappearance and doesn't know her whereabouts. She faces a minimum of two years in prison. In March, Dmitry was convicted of all fifteen charges against him, including Malezhik's and Alekseyev's murders. He was sentenced to thirty years in prison.
Malezhik was employed as a federal court translator at the time of her disappearance. She had worked on sensitive s involving Medicaid fraud and organized crime, but police don't believe her job was connected to her disappearance.
Malezhik's parents live in Ukraine and she has no relatives in the United States. She is an American citizen and is described as a quiet, private person who was heavily involved in her work. Foul play is suspected in her due to the circumstances involved.
Investigating Agency
Federal Bureau of Investigation
212-384-5000
Other
The New York Post
The New York Daily News
WCBS 2
The Times Herald-Record
CNN
The New York Times
Federal Bureau of Investigation
NamUs

Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Case Updates with Photos