Police searching for a 2-year-old boy who allegedly vanished when his mother left him in her car on the side of the road while she bought gas worry the tike has fallen "into some very unfortunate circumstances."
Major Mike Johnson of Bellevue (Wash.) police warned at a news conference that there could be a grim outcome in the search for Sky Metalwala, reported missing last Sunday.
"Given the amount of time that's passed, unfortuatnelyt the reality of this is that Sky may have fallen into some very unfortunate circumstances," Johnson told reporters on Friday. "And as much as we don't like to think about that or talk about it, it's a reality.
"We hope for the best and prepare for the worst," he added.
The child's mother Julia Biryukova and father Solomon Metalwala are divorcing and arguing over custody of their son. Johnson said police are looking to see if the custody fight played a role in Sky's disappearance. Cops are also investigating the possibility of an abduction or that the child left the car and got lost while Biryukova and his older sister allegedly went to get gas for the car's empty tank.
Biryukova has refused to take a polygraph and police say her version of events doesn't add up. For instance, cop said they didn't see a gasoline canister at her car.
Her attorney said the mother is too shaken up by her son's disappearance and is in no shape for a polygraph test.
Her estranged husband has taken a lie detector test, police said.
Sky Metalwala
